Having fun with Marimekko!

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I just love Marimekko. More so because the company is always looking for ways to encourage people to have fun with their products – be it through the craft book Surrur or the Marimekko tribe. These initiatives help bring people together in a positive way.

 

Such an initiative was planned for the Marimekko space at the International Design Festival Berlin held from 1st-5th of June 2011. There were interactive workshops on each day of the event under the theme of “Why Not Together”. These explored the different seasons, as they play a special role in Finnish society and affect how Marimekko creates products.

Each day was marked with a change in mood and atmosphere – with a long table laid out with seasonal fabrics. Different activities were planned for each day, inviting people to create using Marimekko fabric off-cuts. 

Etsy’s local Berlin office also participated with an activity of their own using the same fabric off-cuts. The Marimekko table was an intense area of concentration with people spending from 20 mins to a few hours creating bags, ornaments, jewellery and even voo-doo dolls.

All images courtesy Marimekko blog.

My top ten iconic iittala products

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Iittala was founded in 1881 to produce household glass items and chemist bottles. However, it was not until the 1920s and 30s, that iittala as we know it came into being. In that era of burgeoning creativity, iittala attracted artists like Alvar and Aino Aalto who led the way in creating glassware that was beautiful, modern and functional. 

Today iittala is one of the frontrunners in the world of modern design. It has become synonymous with high quality and its glassware is renowned for its timeless beauty and functionality. Here I have put together a list of 10 iittala products that according to me are the most iconic. Some of these were created more than 70 years ago, but have survived the test of time and remain as popular as ever.

1. Aalto vase (1936)

The Aalto vase dates back to 1936 and was first presented at the Paris World Fair. Alvar Aalto's first sketches for the vases were playfully called "Eskimo woman's leather trousers". Its fluid, organic form is still mouth blown today at the Iittala factory and it takes a team of seven skilled artisans working as one to create one Aalto vase. 

2. Aino Aalto (1932) 

Echoing rings of water, this pressed glassware from 1932 is tactile proof that essential design is timeless. Simple, space saving design that permits stacking and versatility were the starting point for these classics. In production since its launch, Aino Aalto glassware now celebrates 80 years of design history. 

3. Tappio (1952)

Considered synonymous with Finnish design, Tapio Wirkkala excelled in the art of glassmaking by capturing a single air bubble inside the stem of the glass. He intended it as an eternal reminder for us to enjoy each fleeting moment. 

4. Sarpaneva (1960) 

With a wooden handle and a cast iron body, this ultimate design classic is as functional in the kitchen as it is appealing on the dining table. Combining design usability with a traditional cast iron pot, Timo Sarpaneva’s inspiration came from his blacksmith grandfather.

  

5. Maribowl (1960) 
These cute little Maribowls have been in production since 60s. But they shot into the limelight when Marimekko’s founder, Armi Ratia, used them in her famous garden parties at Bökärs. This celebrity endorsement resulted in these humble bowls becoming collector’s items. 

6. Kastahelmi (1964)

Kastahelmi means dewdrops in Finnish and refers to the circles of bubbles in the pressed glass. Inspired by Finnish nature, the dewdrops glisten like a string of pearls on grass in the morning sun. Oiva Toikka’s love for experimentation led to the creation of this unique droplet design for Kastehelmi. 

7. Birds by Toikka (1972)

Oiva Toikka’s limitless imagination combined with his sophisticated knowledge of glass to make possible for him and Iittala glassblowers to create these gorgeous birds. Toikka has created more than 400 birds over the last forty years. Each bird is individually mouth-blown, and is one of a kind. 

8. Kivi (1988)
Heikki Orvola, Kivi's creator says, “When I got the commission, I knew what they wanted from me: a Scandinavian glass candleholder. I gave it some thought and then that ‘blunt piece of tubing’ began to take shape in my mind.” This is how the these tea candle holders became so minimalistic and timeless. 

9. Taika Plate 2007
Taika means ‘Magic’ in Finnish. An apt name for this range of bold and enchanting tableware. Klaus Haapaniemi’s illustrations inspire your own imagination and storytelling. These fascinating and magical designs gradually reveal their details and layers of meaning to the user.

10. Vitriini 2010

Anu Penttinen's Vitriini boxes are the perfect way to display all the little things you love. This colorful range gives endless possibilities of storing small objects and putting them on show. I love the way the boxes combine glass, wood and aluminum in one seamless whole.

All images courtesy iittala.

Happy 60th Anniversary Marimekko

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Marimekko Flying High

These are exciting times for Marimekko, the Finnish textile company known for its bright, bold prints is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The anniversary comes at a time when Marimekko is expanding at a rapid pace. There are already 84 Marimekko stores worldwide, seven of them opening this year alone, including a massive flagship store on New York's Fifth Avenue. Its London presence will be expanding too, with a second store opening in the coming months at Shoreditch. It is clear that Marimekko is on a roll right now. 

Founded by textile artist Ami Ratia in 1951, Marimekko came as a breath of fresh air at a time of post second world war austerity. Ratia’s idea was to supply some much-needed playfulness and fun and revitalize the dying fashion industry. The formula worked and how! At the very first Marimekko fashion show in Helsinki, women went wild for her graphic print dresses. The free flowing shift dresses were the complete opposite to the 1950s fitted, waist-pinching dresses. A shape that women embraced immediately, for it was forgiving and flattering at the same time. 

To kick start its 60th anniversary celebrations, Marimekko held a fashion show at the Esplanade Park in Helsinki. The show on a sunny May afternoon took place exactly 60 years from the fashion show that started the Marimekko story. 

The event culminated with the debut flight of the Unikko (poppy) hot-air balloon over the Helsinki silhouette.

All images courtesy Marimekko.

Aero Furniture Store in Helsinki

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During my stay in Helsinki, there were a number of delightful shops which I enjoyed visiting. Among them, a favourite is Aero, one of the best places to find the best of Finnish design. I can easily spend an entire day in this shop! 

Aero is an interior design store located in down town Helsinki, in the heart of the Design District. The shop displays top designs in furniture, rugs, fabrics and lighting from Finnish, Scandinavian and European manufactures. 

The store is housed in a period building with high ceilings, vintage plasterwork and beautiful tiled floors. The interior has been tastefully restored and contrasts magnificently with the sleek contemporary furniture. 

Located next to the Dianapuisto Park, bang opposite the Design Forum Shop, the store opened in 2000 and rapidly became a leader in its field, going on to became a part of Artek in 2010. 

All of these pictures are from my visit to Aero. Clearly not to be missed!

Fiskars Village in Finland

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If the buzzing Design District in Helsinki is the heart of Finnish Art and Design, then its soul must surely reside in the Fiskars Village. Set in picturesque Finnish countryside about 100 km west of Helsinki on the old main road from Turku to Vyborg, it provides a very tranquil setting for the artists who reside here. 

Founded in 1649, Fiskars the well-known scissors brand started its ironworks in this small village, at a time when this region of Finland was renowned for production of iron. Despite this long history, Fiskars started moving its operations out of the village in 1980’s as it needed bigger and modern facilities. Leaving these beautiful brick buildings empty and abandoned, much like the mill buildings in Manchester.  

However, unlike the industrial buildings in Manchester, this was not the end for this Finnish village, wanting to keep the traditions of the village alive; Fiskars started looking for new uses and inhabitants. This was the beginning of a project titled ‘A Living Ironworks Village’ which brought craftsmen, designers and artists to live and work in the vacant historic buildings and form a commune. 

Set up in 1996 ‘The Cooperative of Artisans, Designers and Artists’ was a huge success and the result is the Fiskars Village of today. Today there are 121 artists in residence with professions ranging from cabinetry makers to ceramists and visual artists to industrial designers. 

The village provides an ideal setting to display the high-quality Finnish art and industrial design that these artists produce. Design shops dot the village and there are regular exhibitions to showcase the artists work. The official shop on the premises is Onoma, which is a located in the the Clock Tower. It  is wonderfully laid out, with its shelves chock full of quirky objects made by the resident artists. It was made all the more magical because of its setting in a period building, with light streaming in from the large casement windows.

handmade glass plates by artist in residence Anu Penttinen

A quirky chandelier made of twigs and copper wire

candle stands by Anneli Sainio 

ceramics and tableware

glass floor lamp and vases

Trays and other wooden items by Tuulia Penttila made of Finnish Birch

During my visit to the Village, I also chanced upon a very interesting exhibition called ‘CASE in point’. According to its brochure, “Boxes, containers and cases have fascinated people throughout the ages, and they are artifacts of wide range and diversity. The purpose of CASE in point is to find new ideas and forms related to the concept of the container”. 

The exhibition featured over a hundred boxes by different artists. There were antique boxes to store decanters, cigars and even a grooming set. Juxtaposed with these were the modern boxes to store such intangible items such as dreams and memories, whisper prayers in or hide things.

of boxes old

and boxes new

Made of innovative materials, these turned the concept of the container on its head, with diverse spatial interpretations of what we might think of as a box.

Most of the pieces were works by new designers and students that were showing to the public for the first time. Instead of seeming amateurish, this lent an element of surprise to the objects and I came away feeling refreshed, and if you may spare the pun, thinking out of the box!