INterview
Sustainability in focus – Habitare 2024
Habitare is well known for its creative designs, which always inspire and challenge notions of a design fair. We spoke to Mirjami Rissanen, one of five in-house designers at Messukeskus.
Habitare is well known for its creative designs, which always inspire and challenge notions of a design fair. We spoke to Mirjami Rissanen, one of five in-house designers at Messukeskus.
Mirjami, the theme of this year’s fair is "Layers," focusing on how styles, materials, and time intertwine. How do you interpret this concept in your work?
For the Main Stage I have designed the space with the starting point to use mainly material that we already have in the house from previous projects. Recycling and re-shaping existing material is a good and purposeful challenge, I think. Also, the re-used material and furniture always carry their history along, it will be a story to tell. The space is framed with re-sewn fabrics from 2019 Habitare. These fabrics are used almost in every event in Messukeskus as an interior element on fair booths of our customers, or as a beautiful background for event stages!
Half of the flooring, Artisan Play from Bolon, is recycled from 2023 Habitare Choice, and the other half is also from Bolon, and this, too, will be reused for future events. The Bolon flooring is such good quality that it can be reused in events with tens of thousands of visitors! It is practical, beautiful, and very sustainable compared to general single-use event carpets, which are thrown away as energy waste after the event is over. Our furniture partner for the Main Stage is Franckly, a platform for secondhand design furniture.
The design includes a diverse range of materials, from recycled components to wood-based surfaces. What drives your material choices, and how do you evaluate their environmental impact?
Interior stylist and journalist Susanna Vento curates the Choice area, exhibitors, products displayed, and stand materials. Sustainability is at the core of her work. Together, we have looked for and chosen companies to work with and to create a visually interesting and inspiring yet sustainable area.
Flooring is often seen as the foundation of any space, both literally and conceptually. How did the textures, colors, and finishes of our products contribute to your designs?
The floor is indeed a fundamental element of a space. It functions as a frame and background for the furniture and ties everything in the space together. Bolon is like a candy store! Highly inspirational and have a wide range of textures and colours, so I know that I always find an excellent match to my ideas - and a choice of good conscious.
As sustainability becomes a central focus in design, what role do you see recycled and renewable materials playing in the future of interior design?
Sustainability, recycled, and renewable materials should be at the core of all design work—especially in the event industry, where the life span of the created spaces is exceptionally short. In my opinion, a painfully high fee for producing unrecyclable waste should be charged! Maybe that would push actions toward more sustainable choices.
What was the most exciting or unexpected discovery you made while working with these materials, and how did it shape your final design at the fair?
Sustainable, recycled, or natural materials needn't be synonyms for "earthy and dull" or too narrowed alternatives; they can be a highly visual and colourful world and exceptionally nice materials to touch! The material is often leading the way in my work; I try to find the most interesting and inspiring shape and use for it. The Choice area is a special design project: all the materials used for the construction (floor, walls, furniture) are chosen with a sustainability aspect.
