OUR STORY

In the 1910s, Turku was growing rapidly, and the city was gaining an increasing number of new homes in need of furnishing. There were numerous furniture and upholstery businesses in the city. In 1913, at the age of 23, Brynolf Kuusivaara founded his own upholstery business, Verhoiluliike Fix, on Hovioikeudenkatu. The same street was also home to the Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas, which later became known as Korhonen Furniture Factory. A collaboration began between these two companies—one that has carried Brynolf’s business all the way into the 2020s.

CONTINUITY OF A FAMILY BUSINESS

At first, the business had just two employees: Brynolf and his wife, Rauha, who worked as a seamstress. In 1930, Brynolf and Rauha’s 15-year-old son, Jorma Kuusivaara, also joined the business, initially working under his father’s guidance. The upholstery workshop continued with this small team for just over a decade, until Brynolf passed away after an illness in 1943. At the same time, Finland was still at war, and Jorma was serving at the front. After the war ended, Jorma was able to return to Turku, and in 1944 the upholstery business resumed operations—this time under the name Verhoomo Kuusivaara.

Verhoomo Kuusivaara continued operating from the family home, and in addition to Jorma and his mother Rauha, the business had begun employing people outside the family as well. The family’s children were a familiar sight around the upholstery workshop, and in the late 1960s, Pertti “Pepe” Kuusivaara officially joined the business at the age of 15. In the 1970s, Pepe got married, and his wife, Merja, also began working in the family business.

The official transfer of the business from Jorma to Pepe took place in 1985, when 70-year-old Jorma retired. However, Jorma did not disappear from the upholstery workshop for many years to come. He continued to stop by every day to make sure everything was running smoothly—and, of course, to see his son and grandchildren, who had now become a familiar sight among the stacks of furniture.

Unlike the previous generations, both of Pepe’s children stayed on in the family business. Katri Kuusivaara-Lehto joined the company at the age of 21 after completing her training as a dressmaker, while Kim Kuusivaara trained as an upholsterer before beginning his career. The whole family—Pertti, Merja, Katri and Kim—therefore worked together for several years, until Merja and later Pertti retired. In the next generational transition in 2012, the business passed from father to his two children.

Although Katri and Kim became entrepreneurs in their turn, the atmosphere and day-to-day work at the upholstery workshop remained much the same. Employees Hannu and Emmi were already long-standing members of the team.

The young entrepreneurs also faced challenges in the early years, when their long-standing partner, Huonekalutehdas Korhonen, began to run into difficulties and the future of Verhoomo Kuusivaara started to look uncertain. Fortunately, the production of Aalto-designed furniture continued under a new owner in 2014, and the new manufacturer also wanted the furniture to be upholstered by the company that knew how to do it best.

The early years of the young entrepreneurs were not without challenges. Their long-standing partner, Huonekalutehdas Korhonen, began to run into difficulties, and the future of Verhoomo Kuusivaara started to look uncertain. Fortunately, production of Aalto-designed furniture continued under a new owner in 2014. The new manufacturer also wanted the furniture to be upholstered by the company with the expertise to do it best.

In 2026, another change took place. Katri, who had been an entrepreneur in the business for many years, stepped away from the company’s day-to-day operations, while remaining a source of support behind the scenes and a regular visitor.

Today, Verhoomo Kuusivaara has firmly established its position both in upholstering new products and restoring old furniture. The company works even more closely with Artek than before—it has moved to Littoinen, sharing premises with a-factory, which is responsible for furniture production today. The team has settled at around six employees, with very little staff turnover.

SPECIALISING IN DESIGN FURNITURE

In the 1920s, Otto Korhonen, founder of the Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas, began collaborating with Alvar Aalto. The result was a range of lightweight, versatile chairs, whose sales and marketing were later taken over by Artek. The collaboration with Brynolf Kuusivaara, which had begun in the previous decade, meant that upholstering Artek products became a cornerstone of the business.

Alvar Aalto’s designs have had a major influence on the Kuusivaara family’s upholstery business and working methods—and perhaps the relationship worked both ways. The saddle-strap upholstery that has become a classic is not merely a style for the visible outer surfaces; saddle straps are also a traditional technique used in constructing the inner parts of furniture. Alvar Aalto worked closely with the manufacturers of the furniture he designed and would occasionally stop by the upholstery workshop to see the work in progress. According to family tradition, the architect would sketch his designs on paper and then visit Jorma Kuusivaara’s workshop to discuss how they could be brought to life.

For decades, the upholstery workshop has worked as a subcontractor for Artek, playing a part in some of the major Aalto projects, including Helsinki’s House of Culture, Finlandia Hall, and the Savoy Theatre.

THE HISTORY OF THE UPHOLSTERY WORKSHOP

In the 1920s, the upholstery workshop had begun to outgrow its premises. New facilities were found in Itäharju, which at the time was still largely farmland. Brynolf rented a large plot on Tarkk’ampujankatu, where he built a house for his growing family and moved the upholstery business into the basement. At the same time, Brynolf decided to stop selling new furniture and specialize exclusively in upholstery.

In the following decade, the workshop once again began to run out of space. This time, however, additional room was created by renovating a chicken coop at the back of the yard. The space served the business for many years, until the number of projects grew so much in the 1970s that more room was once again needed.

In the following decade, the workshop once again began to run out of space. This time, however, additional space was created by renovating a chicken coop at the back of the yard. The space served the business for many years, until the number of projects grew so much in the 1970s that the growing workload made more space a necessity.

In 1980, the upholstery workshop moved once again, but this time not nearly as far as it had in the 1920s. The homes of two generations of the family, as well as the new business premises, were all located in the same Itäharju area. A property at the corner of Karjakatu and Tuulensuunkatu became available from Osuusliike Tarmola, and proper workshop facilities were renovated in the wooden building, which had been built in 1928. The new premises provided enough space to upholster the growing number of furniture pieces required by increasing demand.

In 2017, the upholstery workshop moved to its current premises in Littoinen, a facility where Artek furniture is also manufactured. Operating under the same roof provides a major logistical advantage, as furniture can be transported directly from the factory through the upholstery workshop and on to logistics—all within the same premises.

For the first time in a hundred years, the upholstery workshop is operating in premises where none of the family members live—not even next door.