Iittala

Iittala is a leading company in the design of objects for everyday use in the home. The products are based on modern Scandinavian design and well known throughout the world. It was founded in 1881 by P.M. Abrahamsson in the village of Iittala near Tavastehus in Finland. The Iittala design philosophy defines the principles behind their product development. These principles include, in addition to pure functionalism, the qualities of essentialism and emotionalism, which ensures that all objects are both highly usable and that their design will remain relevant in the long-term. Iittala focused early on producing hand-blown glass instead of mass-produced goods glass. Iittala produces an Alvar Aalto collection inspired by the Finnish landscape with its thousands of lakes, like the big seller vase, Savoy (1936). Another Iittala-produced big seller is Tapio Wirkkala Ultima Thule (1968), which influenced 1960s and 1970s traditional glass design. Other well known designers behind their products include: Maija Isola, Alfredo Häberli, Jonas Bohlin, Kaj Franck, Alvar Aalto, Aino Aalto, Tapio Wirkkala, Heikki Orvola, Kati Tuominen-Niittylä, Konstantin Grcic, Tapio Wirkkala, Antonio Citterio, Renzo Piano, Carina Seth-Andersson och Björn Dahlström.