Birchwood from Finnish Forests

Since its inception in 1935, Artek has prioritised using local, responsibly sourced Finnish birch. All Forest Collection products are made in Artek’s own factory in Turku, Finland. All birchwood used comes from the same sustainably-managed forest area in Central Finland, within a 200km radius of the sawmill that treats the wood.

Formafantasma’s Cambio exhibition, which explores the extraction, production and distribution of wood products, was initially commissioned by London’s Serpentine Galleries in 2020. Later that year, Artek invited the Milanese design studio to look into the changing conditions of the Finnish forest through the lens of Artek’s supply chain. Based on their mutual interest and shared values, Artek and Formafantasma subsequently initiated a series of joint advocacy projects to translate Cambio’s ideologies through the filter of Artek’s supply chain.

The first was an extension of the Cambio exhibition that examined the role of Finnish Forestry, held at Designmuseo Helsinki in 2022. This was followed by the introduction of Stool 60 Villi which debuted the “wild birch” wood selection in 2023. The Forest Collection is the natural continuation of the collaboration, developed according to the framework laid out by the research project conducted by Artek and Formafantasma. The collection was first presented at Stockholm Furniture Fair in 2024, where Formafantasma was the fair’s Guest of Honour. This wider selection of products is now being made available for purchase for the first time.

A New Aesthetic of Sustainability

As these products are introduced into public spaces and restaurants, or the homes of conscious consumers, people's expectations of entirely uniform wood products will be replaced by a new aesthetic of sustainability. This means that the inherent natural variations in wood are not only accepted but become the prevailing standard.

The new aesthetic of sustainability is not one that is confined to Artek, periodic trends or the Finnish forest. The hope and expectation is that these products will inspire a regained appreciation for the beauty of imperfection in natural materials and lead to an industry standard emerging in coming years—one that reaches beyond responsible wood management and into all aspects of design.