Siro by Woodnotes, the chair designed with the Scandinavian rigor and the Italian sensuality

The chair with armrests, Siro, is the latest of the Finnish brand Woodnotes designed by Raffaella Mangiarotti and Ilkka Suppanen. They’re a couple “mixed”: the Scandinavian rigor Ilkka Suppanen (Finn who moves between his studio in Helsinki and in Milan) is added the Italian sensuality of Raffaella Mangiarotti.

First time they met in 1999 in a conference in Polytechnic of Milan. Since then Ilkka and Raffaella for many years maintain a professional friendship, which has turned into a deep relationship over the past few years.

It is both challenge and pleasure to try to merge two different cultures and visions in one design. There are great learning's that come out when two different visions of design come together. It is not only two different cultures that need to be merged together: It is also two different idea of design: polytechnic tradition and Bauhaus tradition.

When Ilkka thinks something is good: it might be “poor” for Raffaella. Often same thing look completely different in another point of view.

“Our way of working together is not at all linear. We devote a lot of time sharing between us the images, forms and the materials from which we can draw inspiration, and we only choose the path that really excites both. The selection process is very strong” they tell. “We are discussing about detail of the leg of the chair. But at the same time we might be changing the idea that we should do the lamp instead of chair”.

Raffaella Mangiarotti

Ilkka Suppanen

The last of the joint projects is the chair with armrests “Siro” for the Finnish brand Woodnotes, presented at the last Salone del Mobile, evolution of the chair “Siro” designed in 2013, and in 2016 became part of the permanent collection of the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg.

Essential, with natural or black lacquered oak frame with wax finish, is characterized by the sinuous curve of the hand-stitched leather strap that embraces the backrest and armrest. It is soft and at the same time difining silhouette of the chair. The leatheris the same color of the structure.

It looks like it´s made of same material completely, completely natural, as usual North European for north European design.

“We did not want the Siro chair with a simple wooden armrest added. We wanted to create a chair with armrest he left the idea of Siro to create a new product with a strong and personal“.