Olavi Hänninen
Illustration — Olavi Hänninen in 1957. Olavi Tapio Hänninen (14 December 1920, in Lapinlahti – 16 June 1992 in Espoo) was a Finnish designer and interior architect.
Also recorded as Olavi Tapio Hänninen
Olavi Hänninen
Anonymous Unknown author · http: index=0 size=original format=tif Image record page in Finna: museovirasto.2a17f744-c9b8-41c2-99f3-59de3750b8a4 · Public domain
- Born
- 1920 · Lapinlahti.
- Died
- 1992 · Espoo.
- Nationality
- Finland
- Occupation
- designer · architect · university teacher
- Education
- Aalto University School of Arts and Design and Architecture
- Languages
- Finnish
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Illustration — Olavi Hänninen in 1957. Olavi Tapio Hänninen (14 December 1920, in Lapinlahti – 16 June 1992 in Espoo) was a Finnish designer and interior architect.
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wikidata · Q7083243 · wikipedia · Olavi Hänninen
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Career
Career
Olavi Hänninen's design projects ranged from furniture to trams and church silverware, including total interior designs for many public facilities. His modernist designs also included tables and chairs, and he was well recognized for his work on the Palace Hotel interiors together with Antti Nurmesniemi and Olli Borg. Hänninen designed a renowned plastic chair with metal structure for the hotel's café. In the 1970s, his designs included the new Valmet Nr I trams for Helsinki City Transport. Before starting his own design office in 1961, Hänninen worked at architect Viljo Revell's offices in the early 1950s, where one of his tasks was to design selected interiors for the Palace Hotel building completed in 1952. In 1957, Hänninen received a gold medal at the 11th Milan Triennale for his design of a dwelling exhibition in the Finnish Pavilion. In 1977, he received the State of Finland Award for Industrial Design. He was also an honorary member of the Finnish Association of Interior Architects. A book on Hänninen's life work, Muovituolista raitiovaunuun, consisting of articles written by six Finnish experts on arts and design, was published in 2006.
Personal life
Personal life
Olavi Hänninen was married to textile artist Airi Snellman (1930–2022).
Places
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Lapinlahti.
Birth place
Espoo.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Design of the Century.
- 2.Leppäharju, Marja ym. Valon ja varjon tulkki. Helsingin Sanomat. B 29. 3 April 2022.
- 3.Olavi Hänninen at the Finnish National Filmography
- 4.Muovituolista raitiovaunuun: Olavi Hänninen sisustusarkkitehti SIO 1920–1992. ORNAMO tiedote 5/2006, p. 27
- 5.Arkiympäristön muotoilija. Helsingin Sanomat, Kulttuuri, August 18, 2006
- 6.Kent, Neil (2004): Helsinki: A Cultural and Literary History. Signal Books. P. 187.
- 7.Pöppönen, Hannu: Muotoilua menestyksen varjosta: Esimerkiksi raitiovaunu on osin Olavi Hännisen käsialaa. Helsingin Sanomat, Kulttuuri, August 18, 2006
- 8.Sisustusarkkitehti Olavi Hänninen: Vaatimattoman kauneuden linjan edustaja. (Obituary.) Helsingin Sanomat, June 30, 1992, p. A 4.
- 9.Olavi Hänninen – Interior Architect: From plastic chairs to trams. Design Museum, 18 August – 17 September 2006 (finnguide.fi).
- 10.Turkka, Marja (ed.) 2006. Muovituolista raitiovaunuun: Olavi Hänninen – sisustusarkkitehti 1920–1992.
- 11.Aaltonen, Susanna: Speech at the seminar SIO 60 Years, 9.6.2009. Finnish Designers.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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