2026 Residency
Ida Kukkapuro on Finnish Design in New York
Ida Kukkapuro in Karuselli Lounge Chair by Yrjรถ Kukkapuro
Ida Kukkapuro has been our designer-in-residence for the summer, mentored by Kim Robinson from 3pts. Ida is the director of Studio Kukkapuro, carrying forward the artistic legacy of her grandparents, designer Yrjรถ Kukkapuro, one of the most acclaimed in the Nordics, and artist Irmeli Kukkapuro.
Ida is also a journalist and communications specialist by trade, she hosts an architecture series on YLE, Finnish National Broadcasting company, and a weekly design program on Radio Helsinki.
Ida has been in residency with FCINY for three months and is now sadly leaving New York to take on new challenges. Before she leaves we wanted to catch up with her one last time, and hear her experience of New York and the design field.
What made you want to come to New York for this residency?
Like so many, Iโve always thought that someday I'd spend time in New York, and I've followed the Institute's work for a long time. I'm not an artist, architect, or designer, so I never believed I'd actually get into a residency here.โจWhen I moved into the role of director at Studio Kukkapuro last year and saw this year's residency theme, it felt like it was made for someone exactly like me.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background? What projects have you done in the past year and how did you end up here?
I've worked as a journalist since 2009, specialising early on in culture and later focusing specifically on architecture and design. For a long time I did print journalism, and since then I've shifted to tv and radio โ now I make the TV show Rakkaani, kaupunki and the radio program Ytimessรค.
Until now I've looked at design from the outside, but this is the first time I'm actually inside the field myself. I run my grandfather's studio, Studio Kukkapuro, which looks after the legacy of my grandparents โ designer Yrjรถ Kukkapuro and artist Irmeli Kukkapuro. We're developing their studio home into a house museum, working on publications and exhibitions and licensing Yrjรถ's furniture.
Ida Kukkapuro in conversation with Tanja Hwang during Kukkapuro Reading Room at Vitra Showroom, photo by Argenis Apolinario
How do you think the business side of design in New York differs from Finland? Have there been any surprises?
Here things feel possible, and they happen fast. I imagine it can also be exhausting to work permanently in New York, since speed is the currency, but a short, supported stretch like this has been nothing but energising.
The cultural scene in Finland has had a passive mood the last few years because of the economic depression and cuts in state funding โ a lot of ideas get met with enthusiasm, sure, but then followed by "we just can't do this, not right now."
I've also noticed there's huge demand here for Nordic culture and craft, but little supply. This city could easily fit a Finnish sauna, a children's architecture summer school, way more design talent, more art โ and so many people here want to come visit Finland and spend time there.
You work to promote the legacy of your grandfather, Yrjรถ Kukkapuro. How do you think his design fits into today's trends, especially in New York?
Because Yrjรถ's career spanned more than 70 years, you can always find something in his body of work that resonates with the moment, and at the same time, many of his pieces have managed to become timeless. His work was guided by three E's: ergonomics, ecology, and aesthetics, and when those come together skilfully, that's what a classic is made of.โจ
His design language isn't typically Finnish โ it's very international, even bold โ and it seems to suit New York's mood well. The interest and reception here have been genuinely positive.
What have been some of the highlights or most memorable moments of your residency? How has it been working with Kim Robinson from 3pts?
Something happened to me the day I biked over the Brooklyn Bridge to a meeting, and after kept going to a vintage shop to see Yrjรถโs furniture in Queens, and rode over the Manhattan Bridge too. I'm afraid of heights, but I pushed past it, saw the whole city, and I think that's when I fell a little in love. I fell in love with how this city made me slightly more elevated (!) version of myself.
The Kukkapuro Reading Room at Vitra Showroom was a significant night, seeing so many people interested in learning of Yrjรถโs legacy.
Outside of work, highlights have been trips upstate to Shaker Village and Manitoga, to Montauk, where I saw a whale. I hadnโt thought of New York as a beach city, and I didn't know how easy it is to get out and hike incredible landscapes along stretches of the Appalachian Trail.โจ
I've also gotten to enjoy dinners at local friends' homes and experience hospitality that's left a lasting mark on me. I want to be able to offer these friends the same when they come to visit Finland.
After being in New York for three months, what are your best NYC tips for people visiting?
Swim at Rockaway Beach, don't miss The Cloisters, Dia Beacon, or the Noguchi Museum. Grab a blueberry pastry at Elbow Bakery and have breakfast at Cocina Consuelo in Harlem.
What are your plans when this residency program ends?
To keep building on all the good beginnings that started here. We will keep working on Yrjรถ's portfolio, and I also want to organise an event for the new Irmeli Kukkapuro Portals -book.
