Finland is one of the most developed countries with high welfare in the world in terms of both national happiness and environmental performance. Finland has been a world leader in design for a long time, leading the world in many aspects of concept and technique, and is one of the earliest countries to advocate and practice ecological design. Its experience can be used as reference for the design theory and practice of China in sustainable development. From the perspective of the combination of“quality of life-economic development-ecological environment”, the origin (source) and trend (flow) of environmental awareness in Finnish design are revealed, taking the utilization of forest resources and wood as a clue. Under the condition of extremely scarce natural resources, Finnish design continuously improves the quality of life of the people under severe climatic conditions and promotes economic growth by optimizing the use of materials, especially indigenous materials, combined with technological innovation, thus forming the basic characteristics of humanistic functionalism and modern regionalism. After the oil crisis, environmentally friendly concepts and practices in the traditional and modern Finnish design are consolidated and highlighted and finally synthesized in ecological design in the context of the country's transition to sustainable development, which maintains and promotes dynamic balance and harmonious development of national quality of life, economic development and ecological environment in Finland.