Design destination
Anchored by two of Finland’s top brands, Helsinki’s Iittala & Arabia Design Centre is creating the future of Finnish design.
Forged by the dynamic duo of the Finnish design world, Iittala and Arabia, the new eponymous Design Centre has become a landmark creative hub for interdisciplinary design and innovative thinkers – and their landmark flagship stores.
Offering a temporal leap into the timeline of these design and lifestyle brands, as well as an invitation to interact with artists and explore your own creativity through guided tours, lectures and events via its Design Museum Arabia, Design Lab and Arabia Art Department Society, the space has reenvisioned the power of commercial space.
“We wished to create a centre that offers interesting and interactive content for visitors. It will provide a window into the history, present and future of these brands, while at the same time integrating them with the surrounding community. We aimed to build an attractive destination that locals can enjoy, that also provides interesting content for tourists visiting Finland in its capacity as a design powerhouse, and Helsinki as the capital of it,” says Päivi Paltola, SVP of Iittala and Arabia brands.
What started as a glass factory in Iittala in southern Finland in 1881 now celebrates generations of essential objects that are distinctive, combinable and multi-functional. Inspired by the progressive philosophy of their design heroes, such as Kaj Franck and Alvar Aalto (who designed part of the original building that houses the store), they bring quality, aesthetics and functionality to their work and the new space.
Recipients of the 2015 annual id Design Awards received an exclusively designed trophy that will become a collector’s item: Iittala’s inimitable Aalto vase by Alvar Aalto. And this year, id’s coveted gift bags included the iconic Kastehelmi candle holder from the Alvar Aalto collection by Oiva Toikka for Iittala.
Since 1873, Arabia has been the leader of Finnish tableware design with a commitment to strong, consumer-orientated design. The Arabia Centre in Helsinki has for years been a key destination for design buffs, and the Iittala outlet in the centre has attracted over 200,000 design-lovers each year, 25,000 of which participate in guided tours.