Habitare 2019 – tips for the event

The creative director of Habitare, Laura Sarvilinna, has, again, put together tips for the upcoming Habitare. Over five days, Habitare delivers such a rich and inspiring offering, with speeches, workshops and hundreds of stands, that visitors are advised to get a multiple-day ticket! We are also staging several exhibitions of an international standard, in collaboration with industry professionals. The fair is an opportunity to see and hear something new – something you cannot experience anywhere else!

Remember to check out the wonderful Habi Kids! Time flies in the Habi Kids area: jump in to play the gigantic Helsinki-themed board game and learn new things about Finland’s capital.

Here are Laura’s tips for Habitare:

See Habitare’s virtual home design collection

Come and see a flying carpet and a floating cloud in the Ahead hall! The exhibition design, by the designer Laura Väinölä, is surprising in its multi-layered character, and introduces Habitare’s first virtual home design collection. This is made possible by the Arilyn application, which uses augmented-reality technology. Guidance in the use of the app will be provided near the Arena stage. To download the app to your phone in advance, go to the Google Play Store for Android or the App Store for iPhone.

Meet the design superstar Alberto Alessi

The International Friend of Habitare in 2019, Alberto Alessi, will choose his favourites from the Habitare offering and will give a speech on the opening day, on Wednesday 11 September 2019. Alberto is a true visionary, and I really look forward to hearing him talk about his bold and creative ideas. His extensive experience at the heart of the international world of design adds an interesting perspective to Habitare. Alessi’s pop-up shop is coming to the event, too!

Assemble your own collage of materials

Habitarematerials is a new Habitare stand at which you can explore and combine different materials and colours, and create your own material collage. You can take a picture of the collage so that you can remember it. Throughout the Habitare fair, Jussi and Maria Laine of Nemo Architects will guide you through the process of creating collages!

Five days of speeches from around the world

On each day of Habitare, there will be interesting speeches from around the world. It is such a treat to get so much information, and so wonderful to be inspired by performances by talented people. Why not come and listen to a trend lecture related to our annual Signals exhibition, or the speech about unique workplaces by Sevil Peach? Mia Dillemuth and Antti Rimminen will, in their speech, discuss the trends and phenomena behind Mindspaces, which is the theme of this year’s Habitare.

Habitare’s nine exhibitions

Did you know that Habitare also offers a number of stunning exhibitions that are inspiring in terms of both content and visual presentation? The beloved Habitare classics include, for example, the Signals trend exhibition, and the Protoshop and Talentshop exhibitions, which are dedicated to new design.

Helsinki-themed game at Habi Kids

A large-scale board game will be built in Habitare’s children’s area, Habi Kids, where you can spot famous Helsinki landmarks. You can get dice and instructions from a vendor at an old Helsinki newsstand located in the game area, but you can also just pop into the area to hang out and play, or to take part in a music playgroup, for example.

The Luther and Isokon exhibition to bring a piece of London and Tallinn to Habitare

The Bauhaus, the German art and architecture school, and the birthplace of the Bauhaus movement, celebrates its centenary this year. The Bauhaus has had a great and far-reaching influence on the international field of design. But what do Finland, the Bauhaus, the Estonian plywood manufacturer A.M. Luther, and the Isokon Flats in England have in common? On Wednesday 11 September, Magnus Englund and Leyla Daybelge will speak on the interesting links between these countries and the Bauhaus. The Luther Isokon exhibition will present rare artefacts related to the theme.

How do scents affect and create moods in spaces?

On Saturday 14 September, the founders of the Swedish Muro Scents fragrance brand, Wolf Fischer and Biola Kadiri Fischer, will discuss the importance of scents in our environment. The company has been influenced by the Japanese incense culture and its diverse meanings in everyday life. Muro Scents has recently partnered with the furniture company Zanat, among others.

Enter Habitare’s world of inspiration and visual delight! Check out the full programme here