Yuka Takahashi is a Japanese-born designer who moved to Finland to attend the University of Art and Design Helsinki (now part of Aalto University). She received her BA in industrial design from Kobe Design University in Japan and subsequently worked as the only in-house designer of an engineer-driven tool company. Her move to Finland, her studies in Helsinki, and meeting a new network of people greatly influenced her most essential attitude to design. In 2006, she achieved a Master of Arts degree. In 2007, she founded a design company in Helsinki together with her husband, architect and designer Pekka Harni. Her experience in numerous architectural and interior projects has allowed her a new perspective on the relationship between objects, people and space. She has also come to appreciate the special role of her own experience, knowledge and wisdom of Japanese culture, which serves not to divide or separate, but to unite.
MOON
The Moon range of tableware is inspired by Finnish and Japanese dining experiences. It includes three pieces, a dish and a cup with a lid, which also functions as a saucer. The dish is divided into three sections that blend into each other enabling different foods, sauces and other ingredients to be mixed together as desired. The cup fits into the plate’s smallest recess as well as stands alone. Tableware in Finnish homes is usually matching and purchased in sets of six or more, harnessing quality with hospitality. This has been reflected in the design of popular Finnish tableware, which is simple, functional in design, harmoniously beautiful and often stackable. In contrast, harmony in Japanese table settings tends towards individual dishes of varying sizes, shapes and colors. Different elements with separate containers come together in a harmonious whole. The Moon range is a combination of both dining cultures, which are based on functionality and distinct types of harmony. The Moon tableware set is produced by the Finnish ceramic factory Arabia which is nowadays part of the Iittala group.
