I am a writer, broadcaster and director based in Helsinki.

Ida with Model 4 chair

STUDIO KUKKAPURO

I direct Studio Kukkapuro, an initiative that preserves expands the legacy of artist Irmeli (1934–2022) and Yrjö Kukkapuro (1933–2025), one of the most internationally respected figures in Nordic furniture design. Based in the iconic concrete, steel, and glass studio-home built in 1969 in Kauniainen, near Helsinki, the studio holds all intellectual property rights to Kukkapuro’s work. It includes seven-decade body of designs now produced by twelve international brands and held in the permanent collections of the Vitra Museum and the V&A. From 2027, the studio will open to the public as a platform for design thinking and education

TV & Radio

In 2026 I hosted Rakkaani, kaupunki on YLE, a series about urban architecture. Before that I researched the YLE series Design 3000, produced with SVT and NRK, and Stugor.

Rakkaani, kaupunki keyart

I have also worked on Basta med Kasper Strömman and Dålig design (YLE, stoff.fi).

On radio, I host Ytimessä on Radio Helsinki. It covers urban planning, architecture, design and technology and may include more jingles than any other program in Finnish radio history.
Previously I founded and hosted a weekly design programme Helsinki Design Weekly on Radio Helsinki and Uusi kaava, the Ministry of the Environment’s podcast.

Sisaruuksia

My book Sisaruuksia (S&S, 2025), is a memoir about siblings and blended families in the context of nuclear family norms.

It asks how we might learn to be brothers and sisters to one another.

ARTICLES

My articles have appeared in Apartamento, Avotakka, Form, The Guardian, Grafia Magazine, Helsingin Sanomat and Slanted, as well as in Helsinki Beyond Dreams (2012), Out of the Blue (Gestalten, 2014) and Wilder Quarterly.

Talks

I give interviews, speak as a guest and host events, and I moderate panel discussions and conversations.

Ida Kukkapuro interviews curator Tanja Hwang at Vitra Showroom in NYC.

My subjects include design, architecture and the urban environment, cultural heritage, siblinghood and the work of Studio Kukkapuro.

I work in Finnish and English, and can mix in some Swedish when needed. Past engagements include hosting the main stage at Habitare Furniture Fair, Finlandia Prize of Architecture gala and Finnish Art Sociaty’s anniversary gala.

To book me or ask a question, write to ida@idakukkapuro.com.