Four leading figures in Finnish design & art named Ornamo honorary members

Interior architect Ben af Schultén, industrial designer Hannu Kähönen, sculptor Björn Weckström and textile artist Päikki  Priha have been invited to become new honorary members of Ornamo. They now join the canon of Finnish design, a group of figures whose work has left a unique mark on the history of the field.

Ornamo’s new honorary members represent an exceptionally broad span of the history and development of Finnish design and art. Through honorary membership, Ornamo wishes to express its appreciation for their life’s work, for their long-standing contribution to design and art, and for their commitment to the professional community. The honorary members were celebrated on Friday 4 September 2026 as part of the Helsinki Design Week programme.

The decision was made by the Board of Ornamo to mark Ornamo’s 115th anniversary year. Ornamo, the largest design community in Finland, was founded in 1911.

Salla Heinänen, Executive Director of Ornamo, is delighted that four exceptional professionals have been chosen as honorary members, whose work has left a lasting mark on Finnish design and art. Heinänen also highlights their long-standing commitment to their own profession and to its development.

“Our honorary members are people who through their own work have left a lasting imprint on Finnish design and art, who have renewed their profession, opened up new possibilities for it and taken Finnish expertise out into the world. Equally significant is their commitment to their profession and to the people in it, sustained over decades,” says Heinänen.

Björn Weckström – an unmistakable voice in sculpture and art jewellery

Sculptor and jewellery artist Björn Weckström (b. 1935) is one of the best-known names in Finnish jewellery design. His distinctive, sculpturally grounded expression has made Finnish art jewellery internationally recognisable.

Weckström’s career, spanning decades, has combined art and design in an open-minded way. His works form part of Finnish design history, and his influence is still visible in jewellery design and the applied arts.

Ben af Schultén – a multidisciplinary force in interior architecture and design

Interior architect SIO and art director Ben af Schultén (b. 1939) has been a member of Ornamo since 1963. He has built an internationally respected career spanning more than six decades as an interior architect, designer and art director. Af Schultén’s work brings together interior architecture, furniture and product design, exhibition architecture and graphic design. Particularly notable is his four-decade career at Artek, nearly three decades of it as art director.

Hannu Kähönen – renewing industrial design and setting its course

Professor and industrial designer Hannu Kähönen (b. 1948) has been a member of Ornamo since 1975. He has built an internationally respected career in industrial design and has contributed significantly to the visibility and competitiveness of Finnish design.

In Kähönen’s work, user-centred thinking, technology, business and high-quality design come together in a way that has strengthened the position of industrial design in Finland. He has worked as a designer, entrepreneur and employer, and has supported new generations in the field. Kähönen’s long-standing commitment to Ornamo is also reflected in the personal donation he made to the Ornamo Foundation in 1995. The donation has made it possible to award grants to Ornamo designers for three decades now.

Päikki Priha – a sustained presence in textile art and teaching

Textile artist and professor Päikki Priha (b. 1948) has built a significant and sustained career in textile art, ecclesiastical textiles, design and education in the field. Her work has advanced the standing of Finnish textile art and brought new perspectives and new practitioners into the field.

Alongside her artistic practice, Priha has had a strong influence on design education and on the development of the field as a professor. Her work forms an important part of the continuum of Finnish textile art and design education.

The canon of Finnish design

The honorary members form a unique arc across the history of Finnish design. Among them are Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Alvar Aalto, Kaj Franck, Ritva Puotila, Ilmari Tapiovaara, Tapio Wirkkala and Vuokko Nurmesniemi. Honorary membership connects different generations and is a reminder of how strongly design has shaped Finland’s cultural, economic and international identity.

Ornamo honorary membership is a recognition granted to a person who has been particularly distinguished in advancing Ornamo and its aims. A designer or artist of merit in the field may be invited to become an honorary member, and invitations are extended both in Ornamo’s anniversary years and in other years.