Education
In 1937 he graduated in interior design and in the following year worked for Asko.
In 1937 he graduated in interior design and in the following year worked for Asko.
He would count Alvar Aalto as a strong influence. In World World War II, Tapiovaara designed dugouts and field furniture to the Finnish Army, a challenging task given that only local wood and simple tools could be used, and no nails or screws were available. His own work gained attention for the Domus chairs.
The couple established their own office in 1951.
In the following year he taught design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. After this he would do work in Paraguay and Mauritius on behalf of a United Nations development program
Furniture designs based on his sketches continued to be produced into the twenty-first century.