Finnish cabinetmaker creates PEFC-certified wooden iPad cases

Finnish cabinetmaker Petri Koivusipilä creates beautiful, custom-made wooden iPad cases - PEFC-certifed, of course!

Finnish cabinetmaker creates PEFC-certified wooden iPad cases

23 March 2012 Furniture & homeware

Just when it looked like the market for accessories for a certain well-known brand of electronic consumer goods may be saturated, Finnish cabinetmaker Petri Koivusipilä has come up with a new and innovative item to debunk the idea. 

Proving that the apple never falls far from the tree, he has created beautiful, custom-made wooden iPad cases. What is more, these and all his other products are now PEFC Chain of Custody certified!

Based in Fiskar in southern Finland, cabinetmaker Petri Koivusipilä specializes in the creation and manufacture of innovative, bespoke wooden products. His products are made from oak, elm, linden, maple, and other timber species which he sources from Fiskars Laatupuu. Fiskars Laatupuu is a company which has been producing quality timber for cabinetmakers and other craftsmen in the village of Fiskars, a well-known centre of Finnish art and design, for several generations.

Most of the timber used in Koivusipilä's workshop is supplied from local forests. Each log is sawn individually to get the best result for cabinetmakers and carpenters.

"Living in Fiskars offers huge advantages," says Koivusipilä, who has had his own specialist workshop in the village since 2005. "Just next door, 15 different native timber species are sawn into raw material for making furniture. It's easy to choose the correct material for each customer's needs."

"This is truly local production. In addition to the more commonly supplied species such as birch and Scots pine, the forests at Fiskars provide several other hardwood species rare in other parts of Finland. They are sawn, dried and stored right next to our workshop!"

A century ago, horse-drawn Fiskars ploughs were already being manufactured in the very buildings where Koivusipilä now produces custom-made wooden desks, chairs, kitchen and conference furnishings as well as innovative business gifts. These gifts include the recently-designed wooden iPad cases that are proving to be a particular hit.

Petri Koivusipilä's operation is small, he only employs two people! His expertise lies in the creation of prototypes and demanding interior-design projects that he undertakes in collaboration with designers and architects both in Finland and abroad. Among the bespoke products that Koivusipilä has created include book cases and wardrobes for the Finnish Embassy in Algiers. Currently he is working with artist Ilona Rista to create a wooden relief wall that will be installed in the conference room of the Finnish Embassy in Paris.

Responsibility attracts customers

Petri Koivusipilä has a long-standing commitment to sustainability. Last November, he was awarded PEFC Chain-of-Custody certification and today all his products bear the PEFC logo as well as his company logo.

"Established customers are familiar with our commitment to sustainability, but for new customers the presence on our products of the PEFC logo is an indication that we take our responsibilities seriously. Achieving Chain-of-Custody certification has been beneficial to our company, and the presence of the PEFC logo has even been a deciding factor in helping us win recent orders."

Sustainability and aesthetics go hand in hand

Petri Koivusipilä's commitment to sustainability goes well beyond sourcing wood from sustainably managed sources. Traditionally, sustainable development includes three pillars: social, ecological and economical sustainability. Koivusipilä adds a fourth pillar to this triumvirate: aesthetics and particularly the importance of design in the life-cycle of solid-wood products.

"The life span of a piece of wooden furniture is hundreds of years. In order to match the expectations of future generations, furniture really must be aesthetically sustainable. The craftsmanship can be seen in the fine details but also in the design."

Finnish media have recently "discovered" Koivusipilä and spread the word. Koivusipilä's products, especially chairs, have been highlighted on national TV and in several interior design magazines. A book presenting classic Finnish chairs will be published in May. The book focuses on Finnish classics from the early 20thcentury. It also features some potential future classics, including Koivusipilä's "MMerz design" stool. Who knows, perhaps the wooden iPad cases will also achieve iconic status!

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