Our story
Asko Lax – from Pudasjärvi
Asko Lax was born and grew up in the town of Pudasjärvi in Northern Ostrobothnia, and left the town for the city of Oulu in the 1980s to study architecture. A decisive element in the young boy’s interest in the industry was a picture book of architecture that he got from his father at the age of nine.
Towards product design
Asko Lax created his first furniture line in the late 1980s, which consisted of new types of stools and tables based on bending birch in an innovative way.
A decisive step towards the profession of a designer was being accepted into ArtCenter College of Design that opened a European campus in Switzerland in 1986. Success in his studies granted him the opportunity to switch to the renowned main institute in Pasadena, Los Angeles. He graduated as an industrial designer and as ArtCenter’s first ever Finn in 1993.
Furniture and heart rate sensors
After his graduation, Asko designed furniture for different clients in the 1990s until the year 2000 when he was appointed as the design director for the Finnish success story Polar Electro.
In 2004, log house manufacturer Kontio invited Asko Lax to design premises for its importer in Moscow. The result was the world’s first modern log building. With its lean-to roof and large glass surfaces, it has had a significant effect on the development of industrial log building architecture.
In Finland the most significant architectural destination so far has been Arctic Hilltop Boutique Hotel Iso-Syöte in Lapland, completed in 2021.
Lax Design – Taipaleenharju
Lax Design operates in Taipaleenharju in the town of Pudasjärvi, a village known for its windmills along the road leading to Kuusamo some 70 kilometres from Oulu. The company develops its products at the Taipale farm, which has been owned by the same family since 1771.
The village and its old log buildings provide a natural backdrop for the company’s products that are designed to stand the test of time and use well into the future. Lax Design products are made in Finland and assembled and packaged at the Taipale farm, where they set out into the world.
Kalle Lax – entrepreneur
Lax Design’s managing director and principal owner is Kalle Lax. He learned the entrepreneurial way of life early on, watching his father work in his home office. Even though he grew up surrounded by entrepreneurs like his father Kalle didn’t initially consider it as a career option for himself when he was younger. After his studies and military service, Kalle Lax ended up working in sales where a dream of running a family business took root. Year by year, it grew stronger as the sales duties increased in difficulty and independence.
Experience of modern sales
The most significant experience of Kalle’s career has been working as a real estate agent in the service of Neliöt Liikkuu LKV as one of the company’s first hires. The company culture geared towards bold growth provided a great basis for adapting his skills into a new kind of entrepreneurship, marketing and modern sales.
The story of Lax Design has only just begun, but we want you to become a part of it.
