Esa Vesmanen Collaborations at Fasetti
Thursday, 29 January, 2026
Opening reception 17.30-20
Fasetti, Bulevardi 3
Esa Vesmanen’s collaborations with Japanese designers Taishi Watanabe and Akira Minagawa/ minä perhonen unfold as thoughtful dialogues between cultures, united by a shared reverence for nature, materiality, and the emotional resonance of everyday objects. Vesmanen’s Nordic design sensibility — rooted in clarity, restraint, and a close relationship to landscape — meets Japanese approaches that embrace nuance, symbolism, and poetic storytelling. Rather than merging into a single expression, these perspectives remain distinct yet complementary, creating works that are both conceptually rich and quietly human. Whether through furniture or lighting, each collaboration balances atmosphere and function, craft and imagination, resulting in enduring designs that invite reflection, discovery, and a deeper connection to the natural world.
Pilvi Sofa by Esa Vesmanen and Taishi Watanabe
The Pilvi Sofa, designed in collaboration with Japanese architect Taishi Watanabe, was commissioned by Watanabe and manufactured in Finland by Fasetti Design. Created specifically for Watanabe’s self-designed Tokyo residence — an angular, sculptural dwelling of steel and stone — the sofa introduces a gentle, grounding counterpoint within a boldly architectural interior.
Inspired by the soft, shifting form of a cloud, Pilvi brings a tactile, nature-inflected presence to the space. While its rounded silhouette may appear at first to contrast with the home’s sharply defined geometry, both the architecture and the sofa share a poetic sensibility: each invites curiosity, exploration, and engagement from multiple vantage points. Like the house itself, the sofa reveals new qualities as it is experienced in motion and from different perspectives.
Balancing tradition and innovation, Pilvi pairs classic natural materials — oak and wool — with a distinctly contemporary form. The result is a timeless yet expressive piece designed not just to be seen, but to be lived with and appreciated over time.
FINOM x Minä Perhonen Lights by Esa Vesmanen and Akira Minegawa
The FINOM x minä perhonen lighting collection reflects the creative dialogue between Finnish designer Esa Vesmanen and Japanese textile and fashion designer Akira Minagawa — a collaboration grounded in shared values yet enriched by distinct cultural perspectives. Vesmanen’s Nordic design language, shaped by clarity, restraint, and a deep connection to landscape, meets Minagawa’s poetic and narrative approach to pattern and form. Together, they create lights that balance atmosphere and function, precision and emotion.
Vesmanen first developed the FINOM lights for the Finnish Cultural Centre in Budapest, exploring the flexibility and translucence of thin wood veneer to evoke sunlight filtering through forest leaves and the gentle curve of sails in the wind. Crafted in Finland from sustainably harvested birch and ash using a combination of laser cutting and fine carpentry, the lights are both technically refined and ecologically responsible, earning international recognition including the Finnish Ecodesign Award and the Red Dot Design Award.
In this collaborative edition, Vesmanen’s sculptural wooden forms become vessels for Minagawa’s dreamlike imagery drawn from the natural world. The series includes Metsätähti (Forest Stars) pendants, where Vesmanen’s original silhouettes are animated by Minagawa’s radiating stars and forest motifs; Sieni (Mushrooms) table and pendant lights; and Pilvi (Clouds and Stars), whose new forms are inspired by Vesmanen’s principles while introducing Minagawa’s distinctive visual language. Each piece serves not only as a source of illumination, but as a quiet moment of reflection — uniting Finnish and Japanese sensibilities in objects that bring warmth, wonder, and a sense of nature into everyday interiors.
“Speaking with Akira, I intuitively understood how our cultures complement each other,” says Vesmanen. “During the long winter months, we appreciate a cozy and uncluttered ambiance. We seek tranquillity, functionality and pleasure.”
For more information, high-resolution images or interviews please contact: esa@puredesign.fi
