Paavo Tynell was the first Finnish designer to work solely with lighting. He trained as a sheet metal worker and worked as such until 1918 when he, together with a few others, started Taito Oy. As a designer at Taito Oy and in his own projects Tynell used his knowledge and skill in metalwork to use the material to manipulate the light. He developed new ways of aiming the light to create indirect lighting to achieve a softer, more atmospheric light. This kind of lighting made Tynell’s lamps popular in restaurant and other spaces where the atmosphere is more important than bright lighting.

In addition to his work at Taito Oy, Tynell worked together with architects to create lamps for specific spaces, such as the Parliament House in Helsinki, the UN Secretary General’s office in New York and the Lasipalatsi building in Helsinki. While the polished brass lamps became Tynell’s trademark around the world he also designed lamps in many other styles to suit the tastes of a wide range of customers. The more ornamental lamps in a baroque style with decorative leaves and branches have their intended audience just as the less decorative models that perfectly suited the new, smaller apartments in the cities. Tynell was quick to adopt the new ideals of Functionalism and used them in his designs. After the war the feeling of nationalism, the appreciation for Finnish nature and traditions grew stronger which also showed in Tynell’s designs. Lamps such as Lehmänkello (cow bell), Tähtitaivas (starry sky) and Lumihiutale (snow flake) are still popular.

The decorative ceiling lights were inspired by old chandeliers and the traditional Finnish “himmeli” Christmas decorations, and they create subtle and livening shadows and a shimmering light in the space. The perforated lampshades in his popular brass lamps, together with the unusual combination of materials – glass, brass, leather and rattan – became typical for Tynell and were also used by other designers in the 1950s and 60s. Tynell used brass early on but peaked during the war when materials were hard to come by and brass from the Outokumpu mine was readily available. Tynell’s experience with metals meant that he could effectively use the material and all its properties.

Tynell’s lamps were, and are, popular both in Finland and abroad and he often worked with American architects on their projects. His brass lamps were especially popular in America during the 1940s and 50s when they were sold by Finland House. All electrical appliances sold in the US had to comply with their standards, among them the requirement that ceiling lamps not hang from their wiring. This led Tynells to design a weighted mechanism for hanging the ceiling lamps and adjusting their height without using the electrical wire for hanging.

Tynell lamps in the Design + Art Helsinki auction: