Perfect finnish: Secto Design’s artisanally produced lights

“How many (insert noun of your choice here) does it take to change a lightbulb?” opens the old joke standard. In the case of Secto Design, it’s more of a case of how many woodworkers does it take to craft a quality-first, distinctive Secto lamp?

If you were to head up to the town of Heinola, in Central Finland, you’d discover that the answer is fewer than you think. You see, in spite of its position as a global lighting brand for discerning architects, Secto Design certainly keeps it real. Its busy factory employs just a couple of dozen craftspeople – home-grown, Finnish cabinet-makers every one of them.

Secto Design products never forget where they’re from.

Each and every piece that’s produced is authored, as it were. Initialled by the artisan who constructed it. Know this: it’s no easy task making a Secto lamp. Its formal reduction and simplicity belies its innovation, the latter requiring a great deal of know-how, patience and perfectionism. The diligence and passion of the team, however, means that they can nonetheless respond to even the largest of orders.

High-quality, PEFC-certified Finnish birch veneer is form-pressed into blanks, which are then cut into slats. These are sanded and finally connected using rings of aircraft plywood. The slats are then glued and nailed to the rings. A proud craftsperson’s signature may be one thing, but that doesn’t mean the lamps avoid a rigorous quality inspection before leaving the factory.

© Architonic