Josh Krute

I am a designer/maker based in Helsinki, Finland involved in a range of projects, commissions, and collaborations. In 2019, I obtained a Masters of Arts degree from Aalto University in the Contemporary Design Program. Currently, I work as a workshop instructor for Aalto University’s Art, Design and Architecture studios - this role enables opportunities to further develop furniture, textile, and printmaking and other creative practices.

In my practice I am eager to collaborate with people in the field of design / retail / production. Presently, my focus is toward furniture, textile, and object design culminating on a spectrum of art, craft, and product design sensibilities. I am interested in developing products that have simplistic and functional form, that showcase the decisions of the ‘maker.’  I believe this balancing act often leads to an artistic obscurity or a unique quality in my work.

The works and prototypes presented in this portfolio show my curiosities towards wooden materiality. Under this theme, my aim has been to navigate correlations between printmaking, textiles, and furniture works; I compose from a wide pallet of qualities and techniques to emphasize characteristics of wood in objects to draw our curiosity towards nature, especially through our daily rituals with them. This is a fundamental starting point for how I approach my design/making practice - centered on our dynamic relationship with nature, objects, and spaces.

I have produced prototypes that have been published and exhibited internationally – some of these include Wallpaper Magazine*, The Design Museum in London, the Helsinki Design Museum, the National Museum of Finland, the Artek store in Helsinki, the Vitra Showroom in the Netherlands, and the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair.