Juho Pasila

The best insights are born through trial and error, with a dash of happenstance.

Shape, or material?

For Juho Pasila, the creative behind the Selma, the application of the lamp directs the design process, in interplay with the shape and materials.

In the small town of Porvoo, in Eastern Finland, the roof fixture Selma is handcrafted to its soft and brilliant shape. The lamp, which originally was intended to be constructed from metal, found its way to a rounded ceramic form by chance. Introduced in 2015 for Sessak, the lamp is one of few crafted in Finland.

– I find it great that products are still made by hand, that everything is not mechanised and mass produced. Handcrafted products makes it possible to do more from a design perspective, as compromises due to the manufacturing process are not necessary, says Pasila.

When designing a light source Juho Pasila sets out by charting the desired use, and the form is born from the subsequent prototypes.

– Quite often the final shape and the possibilities for manufacturing arrive through that process. Sometimes the whole design process begins from the material, which then steers the shape.  

It is a long-term progress where the design can go through several different versions before finding its final form. Juho Pasila has created light sources for various spaces for over a decade, but he still has a keen memory of his first floor lamp.

– I built the prototype from oak boards in the backroom of a bowling alley. The project ended midway as the boards, intended for door sills, ran out. The lesson is probably that design work requires perseverance and forethought of the material required.

As a creative, Juho Pasila sees the most vital for component for a successful design its usability and functionality.

– It’s also nice when the buyer is satisfied and happy with their purchase.