Sami Kallio (b. 1975) was born in Helsinki, Finland, and moved to Gothenburg, Sweden, at the age of two. He completed the Swedish high school joiner programme and studied fine art for two years, before embarking on a BA and MA in design at the School of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg. An exchange year at the Helsinki School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2004 helped maintain the contact with his Finnish roots. In Kallio’s own words, his work combines the melancholy of the Finnish design heritage with the humour of the Swedish tradition.
In 2009, Kallio co-founded the Gothenburg-based furniture manufacturer Brikolör. The company aims to produce furniture with a guaranteed technical durability of 300 years. In 2011, he established Sami Kallio Studio, and launched his first collection, The Finnish Blood in Me.
