Antti Kotilainen, furnishing America's public spaces

His chairs have crossed the Atlantic quietly: the work of Antti Kotilainen furnishes public spaces of companies, universities and cultural sites across the United States — and in Europe alike; the American connection runs deeper still, since Knoll figures among the manufacturers he has collaborated with. The Helsinki designer, independent since 1997, calls his approach organic functionalism: technical problems and details are refined — in manufacturing as in daily use — until the aesthetic result arrives, looking effortless and essential at once.

For Lapalma he signed Seela (2018), the meeting-room chair La Mercanti brings to American conference floors and waiting areas, alongside the rest of the brand's collection.