History

Urjalan Keinukaluste produces rocking chairs already in the third generation. The interest in making high-quality, all-wooden products has passed on in the Saari family from father to son.

Olavi Saari (1918-2002) was a carpenter and an artist. During the stabilized war he spent his time in the trenches preparing beautiful boxes from aeroplane tin plate and carving statues from wood. After returning from the war in 1947 he started up a carpenter’s workshop that prepared doors and windows for Finland which was recovering from the war and being rebuilt. The wood artist in him did not blossom until his 50th birthday. In his old days he began to prepare long-case clocks and sculptures of faces as well as large wooden paintings telling stories from the Kalevala and of the Finnish people. He also prepared decorative bridal mirrors, trousseau chests, cradles, timepieces and clocks and later also rocking chairs. In the works of Olavi Saari the individuality, carefulness, skill and sophistication of each product can be sensed.

The son of Olavi Saari, Seppo Saari (born 1949) became interested in woodworking just as his father. He began his business by buying the old elementary school of Kokko in Urjala and preparing a workshop for himself in the classrooms. Seppo Saari delivered his first “Urjala” named rocking chairs to furniture stores in 1975. The trade name “Seppo Saari” transformed to a limited partnership in 1979 and was renamed in Urjalan Keinukaluste. The other partner was Maj-Lis Saari, the wife of Seppo. At this time Keinukaluste manufactured mainly traditional rocking chairs and spinning wheels. Along the years the workshop was built also to the end of the school and expanded three times. Along the side of the traditional rocker swing also the spring rocking chair came to production and later also the ball bearing swing. Seppo Saari used the skills he had learned from his father as well as he gained himself, and started to develop the workshop into a modern center of woodworking. Seppo and Maj-Lis Saari maintained the high quality of their products throughout their era.

Petri Saari (born 1976) grew up right next to the workshop and already as a little boy he decided that once he will continue the tradition of his father and his grandfather. In 1994 Petri bought the workshop from his parents and Urjalan Keinukaluste changed ownership. The products and the production remained the same and Petri wants to maintain the reputation of the rocking chairs of Urjalan Keinukaluste as high-quality and durable finnish handmade products. Petri also wants to develop the workshop and production steadily.