Pino Interiors in Japan: visiting Talo Scandinavian Furniture

Scandinavian design has always travelled well. From Alvar Aalto’s bentwood furniture to Yrjö Kukkapuro’s expressive lounge chairs and Danish mid-century classics, Nordic furniture has found its way into homes, galleries, restaurants and collections all over the world.

For us at Pino Interiors, one of the most interesting destinations has been Japan.

During our recent trip to Japan, Onni from Pino Interiors visited Talo Scandinavian Furniture, one of Japan’s leading dealers in Scandinavian vintage design. Talo has built an impressive business around carefully selected Nordic furniture, lighting and objects, bringing pieces from Finland, Denmark, Sweden and other parts of Scandinavia to a design-conscious Japanese audience.

The visit offered a closer look at where some of these pieces eventually end up after leaving Finland. Many of the objects we work with have already had long lives before they arrive at Pino Interiors, and for us, exporting them is not only about selling furniture abroad. It is about continuing their story in a new setting.

Japan has a particularly strong appreciation for Scandinavian design. There is a natural connection between Japanese interiors and Nordic furniture: both value material honesty, simplicity, craftsmanship and calm forms. Aalto’s furniture, for example, fits beautifully into Japanese spaces because of its warmth, functionality and quiet presence. The same applies to many Finnish and Danish pieces, where the design feels refined without being overly decorative.

At Talo, this appreciation is visible in the way the furniture is presented. The pieces are not treated simply as second-hand objects, but as design items with history, character and cultural value. This is something we strongly relate to at Pino Interiors as well. Our work is based on finding good pieces, understanding their background, restoring them when needed and placing them in the right context.

Seeing Scandinavian design in Japan also gave us a clearer picture of the international demand for Finnish furniture. Pieces by designers such as Alvar Aalto, Yrjö Kukkapuro and Eero Aarnio are not only important in Finland. They are part of a wider design language that continues to resonate globally.

For Pino Interiors, international sales and export have become an important part of what we do. We regularly ship furniture and lighting to private homes, collectors, dealers and creative projects outside Finland. Some pieces stay close by in Helsinki, while others continue their journey to places like Japan, Korea, or different parts of Europe.

Visiting Talo was a reminder of how far good design can travel. A chair designed in Finland decades ago can find a new life in a Tokyo apartment, a Japanese showroom or a carefully curated interior on the other side of the world.

That is one of the most rewarding parts of working with vintage design. The pieces already have history, but their story is never finished.

Watch the full video from our visit to Talo Scandinavian Furniture on our YouTube channel.