Finnish design on the spot

Combining everyday needs of people with an observant aesthetic eye

Finnish designers have always paid special attention to affordability, wanting to make the design products accessible to everyone. Visitors to Helsinki can enjoy Finnish design in many ways, not only by shopping items, but also by enjoying the aesthetics of simple form in the street scene and by popping in some of the numerous galleries and museums to see great works of arts and pieces of design.

The concept of Finnish design as such was only coined in the 1950s and 1960s, as the great names Eero Aarnio, Kaj Franck, Alvar Aalto and many more, were only just starting their careers as designers, and the famous design companies, including Marimekko and Aarikka were founded.

The roots of Finnish design

The history of the more organized forms of Finnish design dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design was founded (in 1875), and the glass factory Iittala, the textile factory Finlayson, the cutlery and steel company Hackman, and the tableware house Arabia were started. Somewhat later, in the 1920s and the 1930s, the great design names started to multiply, as the clothing company Nanso, the design house Artek, and the world-famous jewelry house Kalevala Koru, inspired by Kalevala, the great national epic of Finland and the Finnish folklore, were established.

Younger generations of design

In the past few decades especially, Finnish design seems to have experienced a new period of flourishing, as young generations of designers and design enterprises have emerged, making use of new innovations and technologies, including recycling of materials and a hint of retro-spirited nostalgy; see e.g., Globe Hope, IVANAhelsinki, Klaus Haapaniemi, Harri Koskinen, Tonfisk and Golla.