Snowflakes and grandma’s lace knickers! Paavo Tynell’s story as the designer of collector-coveted lamps is unmatched
The meteoric rise of designer Paavo Tynell’s (1890–1973) lamps into the ranks of Finnish design’s dearest treasures has prompted many to take a closer look at their inherited lamps and rummage through their storage corners. Meanwhile, Tynell’s own story has received far less attention.
Paavo Tynell was among the most in-demand designers of lighting for public spaces in Finland from the 1930s to the 1950s. Some of his finest and rarest pieces command prices rarely seen in Finland. At the end of 2018, Annmari’s in Tampere held an auction of furnishings from the clubhouse Honkapirtti in Imatra, which belonged to forest industry company Stora Enso. The three unique Snowflake lamps from the banquet hall were sold at a total of 1.1 million euros, including buyer’s premium and VAT.
While the patinated brass lamps and chandeliers adorned with leaf ornaments have drawn keen interest, Paavo Tynell’s own life journey has often gone unnoticed.
His career spanned an exceptionally long period, from the 1920s into the 1970s. It is full of interesting twists involving Finland’s electrification, Alvar Aalto, and even a cover feature in the American magazine Life.
A working-class son
Paavo Tynell was born in Helsinki on 25 January 1890. His father, Gustav Tynell, was a painter. Following the working-class path, Paavo became a tinsmith’s apprentice at G.W. Sohlberg at age 16. Next, he expanded his expertise at the Taidetakomo Koru workshop, earning his journeyman certificate there in 1913 thanks to a lamp he made.
Tynell gained international experience at Herman Gantzer’s metal factory in Berlin. According to Tynell’s wife, designer Helena Tynell (1918–2016), Paavo could only get as far as Copenhagen on his way home before running out of money. He finally acquired funds for the rest of the trip by winning a shooting contest in the city’s famous Tivoli.
Tynell was so skilled that when he enrolled in 1916 as a student at Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu (the Central School of Art and Design), the predecessor to the school of Ateneum, he was promptly invited to teach metal art there instead.
Remarkable Taito
A key turning point in Paavo Tynell’s career came in 1918, when the master of Finnish metal art, Eric O.W. Ehrström, offered Tynell a partnership in a new art forge in Helsinki. The other partners at Oy Taito Ab were the sculptor Emil Wikström, silversmith Frans Nykänen, and Mining Councilor Gösta Serlachius. A fun coincidence is that Tynell also practiced gymnastics at a club called Taito (Finnish for "skill") at the time. In addition to his designing work, Paavo Tynell eventually went on to serve as the company’s CEO until 1953.
Initially, Taito produced candelabras, vases, decorative objects, and even iron gates from brass, bronze, silver, and tin. But around the end of the 1920s, as Finland became increasingly electrified and new construction soared, Tynell wanted the company to focus on lighting production.
In the 1932 sales catalog, Taito showcased as many as 39 different electric lamps. Domestic lighting was in demand, and cheap imports had not yet threatened its market position.
From grandma’s lace knickers to snowflakes
In January 1943, a newly graduated model designer named Helena Turpeinen joined Taito. She finalized Paavo Tynell’s lamp sketches and later designed glass shades that were produced at the Kauklahti glass factory in Espoo.
Over time, their working relationship became a romantic one. “Paavo Tynell was my boss. He was an incredibly creative, strong personality. We worked very closely, but there was no spark at first,” Helena Tynell recalled in an interview for newspaper Helsingin Sanomat in 2008. The pair married in 1947, after Paavo had ended his marriage to actress Anna Helin.
Around the same time, Tynell’s designs began embracing more romantic elements. At Restaurant Kestikartano, established by the Kalevala Women’s Association and decorated by Aarne Ervi, he introduced the Snowflake lamps embellished with delicate brass ornaments hanging from thin metal wires. Colleagues joked that the new style had been inspired by Tynell’s recent marriage, but in postwar Finland, there was a clear demand for a softer and more personal look as opposed to minimalist functionalism.
Nowadays, the various Snowflake designs rank among the most coveted works in Paavo Tynell’s portfolio, especially those commissioned by architects for specific projects.
Paavo Tynell’s lamps are characterized by a warm, gently flowing light that emphasizes atmosphere rather than raw brightness.
Besides Aarne Ervi, Tynell’s skills were utilized by Pauli Blomstedt, Erkki Huttunen, Erik Bryggman and Alvar Aalto. Aalto described Tynell’s decorative, nature-inspired lamps as “grandma’s lace knickers.” According to art historian Susanna Aaltonen, this nickname applies to models whose perforated brass shades resemble lace.
No matter the model, Paavo Tynell’s lamps are characterized by a warm, gently flowing light that emphasizes atmosphere and the design of the lamp itself rather than raw brightness. Their look ranges from a 1930s modernist style to playful, fairy-tale shapes, then shifts toward more angular aesthetics in the 1950s.
Although brass was Tynell’s principal material, he also experimented with the potential of plastics flooding the market in the 1950s.
A favorite across the Atlantic
One of the most fascinating chapters of Paavo Tynell’s career was his work in the United States. Taito Oy entered the American market through Finland House, opened in New York in 1948.
Paavo Tynell’s lamps were sold in the Finnish design store located in the building, and he also designed numerous one-of-a-kind lighting ensembles for architect-designed facilities in the U.S. His wife Helena often acted as his interpreter, once even during a live television interview.
Finland House closed in 1954, and despite Tynell’s resistance, Taito was sold to the lighting company Idman. In truth, collaboration with Idman had begun as far back as 1920, and alongside department store Stockmann, it had always been Taito’s primary retailer.
Nevertheless, Tynell’s U.S. projects continued in collaboration with local companies, and the products were manufactured under license. His fame was elevated to its peak, and in 1960, he appeared on the cover of Life magazine, surrounded by lamps of his own design.
When opportunities in the U.S. subsided, Tynell, already in his seventies, withdrew from lighting design. Back home in Rusutjärvi, Tuusula, he produced candelabras from tin-plated steel with sheet-metal candle cups for Stockmann. Paavo Tynell died in Tuusula, Finland, on 13 September 1973.
Watch out for replicas
Growing interest in Paavo Tynell’s vintage lamps has brought along unfortunate side effects. According to Janne Ylönen of Fasetti, known for Ornäs furniture and designer lamps, lots of pieces claimed to be original Paavo Tynell lamps have been manufactured in Finland.
"Some of these counterfeits are so good that they cannot be told apart from genuine Tynell pieces unless you’ve seen authentic vintage ones. They’re made following original designs and methods in part. Most of them are sold abroad, as many auction houses in Finland have the expertise to spot them."
According to Ylönen, specialists should be able to recognize the electrical components that were used in originals and how the workmanship should look. Details like silver soldering, seams, joints, and perforated shades—“grandma’s lace knickers”—are especially revealing, as are screws and electrical parts.
Finnish language sources: Susanna Aaltonen: Paavo Tynell – valaisinsuunnittelun edelläkävijä in Suomen antiikkiesineet (Weilin + Göös), and Paavo Tynell ja Taito Oy (Design Museum).
