ANTTI + VUOKKO NURMESNIEMI

Interior designer Antti Nurmesniemi (1927–2003) and textile artist Vuokko Nurmesniemi, née Eskolin (b. 1930) both made international careers in their own fields of expertise.

Antti Nurmesniemi was an influential designer and a bellwether in the field of design. Vuokko Nurmesniemi revolutionized the Finnish textile and fashion industry. The exhibition at the Design Museum focuses on the Nurmesniemis’ life together and their professional careers from the 1950s to the 2000s. The exhibition showcases the extensive nature of their design practice. They designed everything from coffee pots to landscape architecture, from textile prints to companies’ visual identities.

The couple studied and worked together and supported each other, which gave a positive boost to both of their professional activities. Their working methods and materials were different, but the final products complemented each other and were similar in style and spirit. Both of their work was characterized by their uncompromising attitude as advocates of good and sustainable design.

Their professional legacy and their shared life have become a significant part of Finnish design history.