Harri Koskinen receives prestigious Compasso d'Oro in Italy

Harri Koskinen, a Finnish designer (b 1970) has been awarded Compassod'Oroin Milan on September 16th 2004. This Italian design prize was established50 years ago. Koskinen receives the price for his chair designed forMontina, an Italian furniture producer

This wooden chair named Muu is one of the 16 objects selected for thepriceamong 600 carefully juried nominees. Another work designed by Koskinen, alighting fixture called Lamppu for the Italian produced o luce receives oneof the 100 mentions of honour.

The idea of this prize awarded and celebrated with an exhibition on the premises of the historical Triennial Palace in Milan comes from famous Gio Ponti and was given for the first time in 1954. Kaj Franck is another Finn who in 1957 has received Compasso d'Oro. Nowadays only Italian products can be nominated. The highly qualifid international members are invited by the industrial design association ADI.

Harri Koskinen has collaborated with the Finnish design company iittala oy ab since 1996. He has designed glass, porceline and metal objects for preparing food, for table and interior. Lantern candleholders and vases launched only this autumn are among the latest. They are currently on show at Iittala Concept Store in the heart of Helsinki together with a small collection of glass sculpture and the prize winning Muu chair from Montina. Lanterns and the Muu chair will be shown at 100% Design London at Earls Court, stand E64 September 23 -26. Harri Koskinen has been invited to participate in an exhibition called Design Anatomy curated by James Irvine for the Interieur fair in Kortrijk, Belgium in October this year.