The Iittala story began in 1881 with the founding of a glass-blowing works in a village of the same name in southern Finland. Functional glassware – such as for chemists – was manufactured there initially, though from the 1920s, the facility began to develop its own designs and new production techniques.

When Aino and Alvar Aalto started creating products for the firm in the 1930s, their designs embodied the “form follows function” principle, and Finnish design made its big breakthrough. At the Milan Triennale exhibitions in the 1940s and 1950s, the international market fell in love with the firm.

Since 2003, Iittala has been manufacturing much more than just glassware. Its range has been continually expanded, and it now offers kitchenware, tableware and a number of decorative items for the home. According to the firm’s concept, the individual product families come together to form a perfect whole. The emphasis is on timeless design that is simple, elegant and practical, and thus withstands passing trends and fads.

It is a philosophy that has characterized the company’s work for decades, ensuring that pieces developed by different designers in different eras sit harmoniously together. Examples here include the Claritas vase from the 1980s by Timo Sarpaneva, the famous wave design from the Alvar Aalto Collection in 1936, and the brightly coloured porcelain from the Origo range, created for Iittala in 1999 by Alfredo Häberli. Even the playful birds, eggs and other pieces by Oiva Toikka embody the Iittala philosophy, thanks to the clean lines that set off their contrast-rich designs.

For several years, the company has also produced kitchenware – again, these are products of the highest quality, and are both elegant and timeless modern classics. When Miele was looking for exemplary kitchenware that could be used with its induction hobs, Iittala was chosen as the ideal partner.

2011 is a big year for Iittala and Finnish design: the glass manufacturer is celebrating its 130th anniversary and the Aalto vase its 75th, while glass designer Kaj Franck would have been turning 100. Several classics have been reincorporated into the company’s product line, and a number of exhibitions have been organized, such as one in the Alvar Aalto Museum (www.alvaraalto.fi) and a Kaj Franck show at the Design Museum in Helsinki (www.designmuseum.fi).

For more information, visit www.iittala.com

Text: Regine Smith Thyme