Lisa Johansson-Pape, opalin glass Onion ceiling lamp for ASEA, 1950s

Lisa Johansson-Pape is one of the most recognized mid-century Finnish lighting designers, having earned this distinction — in her eyes — unintentionally.

Johansson-Pape began her career as a furniture designer for Kylmäkosku and Stockmann before turning her focus to lighting in the early 1940s for Stockmann-owned lighting manufacturer Orno, where she partnered with designer Yki Nummi. A graduate of Finland’s Central School of Arts and Crafts, Johansson-Pape was famously quoted as having attributed the success of her vintage table lamps, floor lamps and sconces to an “accident.”

“By education, I am a furniture designer, but I had to make lamps during the war," she explained. Her distinctive style sees a balance of clean aesthetics and a prioritization of practicality and function.

Johansson-Pape was a multidisciplinary engineer and designer who created space for women in many industries. She collaborated on a number of high-profile projects through a variety of partnerships, most notably with the glassblowers of Iittala during the 1950s, designing celebrated lighting fixtures for public spaces such as the Helsinki Children’s Hospital. She also collaborated on installations at 150 churches, including the famous Eckerö Church in Finland.

In 1951, Johansson-Pape was awarded the silver medal at the Triennale di Milano, and in 1954, she was awarded the gold medal for her design of the Sipuli, or Onion lamp. This was merely the start of a lifetime of awards and accolades for Johansson-Pape. She won the Pro-Finlandia prize in 1957 for her design of the Laura pendant lamp, and her other iconic lighting designs include the Belle pendant lamp and the Senator floor lamp.

Johansson-Pape’s work, which frequently saw an integration of acrylic and enamled brass alongside its glass components, was featured at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York and the “Design In Scandinavia” exhibition, which traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada in the 1950s. Her “Rya” textile exhibition debuted in Helsinki and toured Europe in 1956. In 1966, she took part in a joint exhibition in Stockholm with her friend, textile artist Dora Jung.

Lisa Johansson-Pape was an inspiring pioneer of design — she was passionate about traditional Finnish design and worked to build a community and platform for female designers and architects. Through her work at Friends of Finnish Handicraft — for which she designed textiles — Johansson-Pape supported several national movements in textile design and was the organization’s Artistic Director for more than three decades. She was also a recognized public speaker and author, having lectured on the subjects of furniture design, lighting and Scandinavian modernism. 

Find vintage Lisa Johansson-Pape stools, chandeliers and other furniture on 1stDibs.