The feel of wood from design to a finished kitchen

“I’ve been using plywood since I was a child. That’s how I became familiar with Koskisen plywood, and it’s the first that comes to mind when talking about plywood. I enjoyed shaping plywood already as a hobby, because you can create incredible forms and structures with it,” says Aleksi Huhtala, entrepreneur at Arkkikaluste Oy in Kempele.

Huhtala’s enthusiasm for working with plywood began in his teenage years with a boat project in his home workshop. Back then, he crafted a boat from birch plywood, it was quite something that hadn’t been seen before. Since then, Huhtala has designed more exceptional and original wooden products, and this combination of design skills, hobby, and passion led to the founding of his own company.

“We’re a family business that also employs my eldest son and my wife. My brother is also involved,” Huhtala explains. “As a Finnish entrepreneur, I always want to use Finnish raw materials and suppliers whenever possible,” he adds.

The feel of wood is present already during the design phase for customers. “About five years ago, I made a big leap when I started drawing designs on Koskisen’s thin plywood sheets. I used to sketch 3D images for customers freehand on paper, but now I draw them on 0.8 mm plywood. The plywood stays with the customer, and I take a photo of it for myself,” Huhtala says.

Kitchen for the Housing Fair Made from Zero Furniture Boards

“Our entire design and production are evolving toward being able to efficiently make frames from all materials. We’re currently producing a kitchen with plywood frames. I believe the use of plywood will increase,” Huhtala reflects.

In addition to plywood, Arkkikaluste uses Koskisen’s melamine-coated chipboards. Zero furniture board was recently used in the kitchen of Villa Prykä at the Oulu Housing Fair. “The kitchen was custom-made. Even the depth aligned with the window reveals.”

A single-material frame was chosen for the kitchen to match the other tones of the building, resulting in a calm and minimalist look. Arkkikaluste’s design and production are moving toward a monochromatic, single-material approach, and the kitchen in Villa Prykä is a great example of this direction.

The color of the doors continues in the interior surfaces of the furniture, as the frames are entirely made from furniture board. Even the back panel is made from furniture board instead of traditional hardboard. This solution creates a cohesive whole. The structure is also durable, so separate connecting strips are not needed. As a result, the kitchen has a polished and minimalistic appearance.

“We received positive feedback about the kitchen,” Huhtala says. His own impression of the Zero furniture board as raw material was also positive. “I get the feeling that it’s an especially clean, homogeneous board to work with,” Huhtala notes.

At Arkkikaluste, consumer customers want to invest in visually appealing and functional solutions. Both the company and its customers value responsible and long-lasting innovations, as well as high-quality raw materials.

Huhtala says the collaboration with Koskisen will certainly continue. “Koskisen is close to our hearts and will definitely be a significant partner for our future,” Huhtala concludes.