History and Philosophy

Timeless furniture 

The freshness and contemporary nature of Avarte furniture does not fade with time. That is proved by e.g. the classics designed in the 1960’s, Karuselli and Remmi as well as Skaala. These lounge chairs among others have become very popular again. Typical features of the collection are the lightness of the furniture and the honesty of their form often reflected by structural details as well. Their visually light structure takes respectfully into account space, too, and complements tactfully the architecture of the building. From the very beginning, professor Yrj? Kukkapuro has been company's principal designer. Today we collaborate also with other leading designers like Mikko Paakkanen who was nominated as the Young Designer of the Year 2006 in Finland. 

Projects worldwide 

Avarte has participated in many interior design projects worldwide. We have supplied furniture to several projects designed by famous architects, such as cultural centres, city halls, offices of many international corporations, universities and other institutes, banks and hospitals. 

Modern classics 

For example the following museums have taken furniture designed by Yrj? Kukkapuro for Avarte to their permanent collections: New York: Museum of Modern Art, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Hamburg: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Weil am Rhein: Vitra Design Museum, Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Helsinki museums of industrial art, and the National Museum in Stockholm. 

Kukkapuro chairs – very good to sit on 

‘Does it make any sense to design a chair which is not good to sit on.’ This is one of Kukkapuro’s favourite sayings and also describes our design philosophy to the point. Kukkapuro’s own design is always a long and thoroughly considered process, in which searching for perfect ergonomics plays a key role. At Avarte, we admire functionality and the forms that follow it. One of our greatest challenges is to create functional, durable and comfortable furniture out of as little amount of material as possible. It is the ergonomy through ecology -idea that we bear in mind every day while designing our products. 

Environment 

Rational use of materials and timeless design combined with the high quality, durability and long lifespan of furniture is the most essential factor for our environment. A piece of furniture stresses the environment at the most when it is taken to the dump. Avarte furniture are made for long term use and their lifespan is prolonged by the availability of replacement parts, which are easy to change. This and other important environmental factors are specified

Production principles

Ergonomics, ecology, aesthetics and economy are the basic concepts behind the design and manufacture of Avarte furniture. Our furniture is made of recyclable and easily disposable materials. We avoid adhesives and finishing agents harmful to people and the environment. Our production methods are as environmentally friendly and safe as possible. 

Our products contain no freons, chlorinated or aromatic hydrocarbons, or endangered tropical tree species. The formaldehyde content of materials is clearly below all prescribed values (E1). As no harmful substances occur in the production process, no emissions can occur either. In product development and material selection we co-operate with our subcontractors in order to achieve results of maximum safety. 

We are proud of the top quality design of our products, in which the amount of materials used has been minimised beginning from the first idea of the designer. Example: when the frame of a chair is ergonomically designed, the amount of upholstery can be minimised. For us it is important also to design durable products with long service lives.

Our expertise in modular structures is useful; product components are easy to replace and repair. Thanks to the durability of the furniture and series-based design, it is easy to combine existing pieces of furniture with new ones. This allows one to build fully functional interiors.