5 MINUTES WITH SAMI RUOTJALAINEN

HELSINKI-BASED DESIGNER SAMI RUOTSALAINEN CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF OIVA – THE TABLEWARE COLLECTION HE DESIGNED FOR MARIMEKKO

What are the key elements to timeless design? “This is a tricky question – there’s no one recipe. The most important thing about timeless design is its functionality – if something feels easy to use, then the design is successful.”

The best place you’ve seen Oiva used or styled in the last 10 years? “There have been many memorable moments. Once in a restaurant in Helsinki, the sushi was served from plates I designed. Another time, I was watching [the television show] Suits when I realised one of the characters was drinking coffee from a mug I designed.”

Looking back now, is there anything that you would have done differently when designing the collection? “I wouldn’t do anything differently. One can always make a hypothesis, but everything we have done in the past has a meaning.”

Your best tips for styling tabletops with Oiva in 2019? “Add a little hint of gold, the colour of celebration, to your everyday moments. As part of the celebratory novelties, we gave some original Oiva shapes a golden rim and added golden details to the original prints designed a decade ago. It’s uplifting to enjoy your morning coffee from a cup with a gold rim.”

How do you see tableware changing in the next 100 years? “The biggest factor changing tableware in the future will be various local food cultures from across the world becoming more global. Certain items and dishes have a very specific purpose, but you can use the same shape in creative ways for different needs. This was the thought behind Marimekko’s Oiva tableware, too – you can play with the items. Table setting shouldn’t be too serious.”