Dish Rack is a minimalist dish rack designed by Helsinki-based studio Studio Tolvanen for Furnishing Utopia. Finnish innovation of the dish rack has a proud history, so it felt only natural to design such an object. It was a visit to a museum in Mika’s hometown that first got us thinking about this dish rack. We noticed an early Finnish dish drying rack bent from green spruce branches. Opposite from what you would think, early Finnish wood objects were often made from organic curves rather than straight boards. Whenever possible the maker took advantage of the natural joints in the tree – crooked branches became ergonomic handles, a naturally curved trunk became a comfortable seat. Over time, familiarity with the properties of trees allowed them to manipulate wood, shaping it into “jointless” curved components that were stronger than straight pieces. We joke that there must have been some Finnish Shakers because the objects we enjoyed most at Hancock Shaker Village felt so utterly familiar in construction and spirit. In both cultures, the wood used for tools and other household objects was often bent to the desired shape. In both cultures, details come from an object’s utility rather than being just ornament for ornament’s sake. An homage to both, our dish rack makes use of bentwood dividers because they are strong, functional and decidedly un-straight.