Mindmade objects. Essentially human design. Design is not about surfaces or style. Design is a human issue. Taking pleasure in everyday life is one of the simple luxuries of being human, so essential design begins with a deep understanding of human needs. Iittala creates adaptable personal belong- ings to be loved and used again and again, day in and day out, for generations. The oldest Iittala objects date back to the 1930’s, long before Scandinavian design came to the attention of the world. With the thinking of legendary designers Kaj Franck (1911–1989) and Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) at the heart of the brand, Iittala continues to be a major driving force of design. Iittala objects are mindmade by both designers and craftsmen for diverse individuals and the ever-changing lives they lead. As sensitive and intelligent responses to everyday situations, mindmade objects are design essentials stripped to their core; the pure union of function, form and quality that demon- strates our core philosophy of lasting everyday design against throwawayism. Contents. Aalto 8 Franck 14 Teema 16 Origo 20 Kartio 22 Mango/Citterio 98 24 Jars 26 Kivi 28 Artik 30 Piano 31 HotCool 32 Ego 34 Lantern 36 Tools 38 Essence 42 Tris 44 Decanter 46 Senta 47 Tapio/Aarne 48 Collective Tools 50 All Steel 52 Aino Aalto 54 Panny 58 Seth-Andersson 59 Ultima Thule 60 Sarpaneva 62 ProfPan 64 Kitchen Accessories 65 Birds by Toikka 66 Designers 72 Awards 74 Product Index 75 How to find us 86 Maintaining the intensity of color in the glass is no For full details of the complete Iittala Collection easy achievement. The pure red color, for example, see the Product Index section at the back. demands an absolutely precise firing temperature. Quality for life Iittala, the brand that dares to challenge the very human urge to collect and create waste. Whether in metal, wood, porcelain or glass, Iittala design objects are high-quality, combin- able, multi-purpose tools for everyday life, for everyone. Undoubtedly revolutionary back in the days of flowery dinner services, but still just as radical in today’s global culture of disposable mass-consumerism. Revolutionaries come in unexpected forms. Established in 1881, Iittala’s mission has already had its impact. Today, Scandinavian design is highly regarded all over the world. Magazines highlight light, spacious interiors, TV programes teach us how to cut the clutter at home, and natural materials symbolize comfort and well- being. The world is now aware of the value of long lasting essential design. The necessity to consume less and live more. At Iittala we are quietly proud of our history. We know that the effort that goes into produc- ing quality design pays off in the long-term by improving quality of life for the end user, and raising awareness about lasting everyday design against throwawayism. Essential mindmade objects cut the clutter, but more importantly let us fill everyday life with moments worth remembering. 4 5 To become an accomplished master glassblower requires years of apprenticeship and experience in all the many areas of glass craftsmanship. 6 Mindmade by Iittala. Whether you call it mindmade essentialism or simply good design, you know quality when you see it. It acknowledges the relationship of things in everyday life. It is an exact expression of the material. It isn’t forced. You just recognize it, with your intuition, as well as with your eyes and touch. It’s the combination of pure thought and craftsmanship that we believe holds the key to a positive future. Shaping the future One pure line of thought. The depth of Alvar Aalto’s thinking ran beyond any definition of the man as an architect or designer. His philosophy was based on a vision of design that expresses the organic relationship of mankind to his surroundings. He wanted to create harmonious design that was a logical extension of nature, a fusion of everyday life in materialized form. 8 Hard to imagine today the waves Alvar Aalto’s vases caused in 1936. They are so eternally contemporary, so at home in today’s world. But when the vase design was presented at the Paris world exhibition in 1937, its mysterious organic form stood in total opposition to the accepted thinking of the time. To Aalto, industrial production that idealized technology failed to consider the needs of the end user. “If you leave the quality out of the product, the whole exercise is nonsensical in every field,” said Aalto. Design, he felt, is for people not machines, so he looked towards nature for his answer. In nature, essential basic units result in millions of combinations. Aalto concluded that every design object should be a basic unit cell of everyday life. Every object must, therefore, perfectly fit the task at hand. It must complement everything in our lives and homes, and let the owner decide the use because everyday needs change all the time. The nature of the material must be part of the design. The object must survive daily wear and tear as well as trends – across cultures and generations. In other words, design must make us humans feel at home being human, no matter who we are. A line of thought easy to follow, yet so hard to achieve. Photo by Sääski (Museum of Finnish Architecture) The Finnish archipelago is uniquely beautiful. With over 20,000 islands and rocky cliffs, it reflects some of the oldest shapes and colors of the planet created by glaciers up to 2 billion years ago. Alvar Aalto Collection Since 1936 Choreography of a vase. 2006 is the 70-year anniversary of the Aalto vase that turned the unpredictable nature of mouth blown glass into an eternally contempo- rary design feature. Mouth blown glass naturally varies in thickness, making each and every vase completely unique and individual. The Alvar Aalto Collection launches new inter- pretations of the original Aalto designs true to the original design concept. A special petrol blue anniversary vase celebrates 70 years of humanism in design with a highly popular color that will be available for just one year. In addi- tion, a steel bowl, duo-colored vases, and new flaming red vases bring the eternally classic shape to the contemporary scene. Other addi- tions to the collection are interpretations of the shape in new materials created by designers inspired by Alvar Aalto. The photographs you see here were taken at the 125- year-old Iittala factory in Finland. From the first thought at the drawing board, to the knowledge of the material of both the designer and the craftsman, it is only genuine teamwork and hands-on collaboration that results in an Iittala design object as faithful to the essential design idea as the Aalto vase. 10 Petrol blue 160 mm White-brown 160 mm Stainless steel bowl 504 mm Green 1937 200 mm White-green 160 mm White-dark blue 160 mm Green 1937 bowl 50 x 195 mm White-red 160 mm Petrol blue 120 mm Blueberry blue 251 mm Brown 160 mm Clear bowl 50 x 195 mm White 160 mm Clear 251 mm Flaming red 251 mm Flaming red 201 mm White-blue 160 mm Wooden moulds are still in use today to form the mysterious organic shape. 11 12 Variations on a theme. No one really knows what specifically inspired Aalto to dream up the flowing form of the iconic vase. He playfully named his first sketch Eskimoerindens skinn- buxa, Eskimo-Woman’s Leather trousers, but as his father was a cartographer, Aalto might really have been inspired by the lakes and coastline of his native Finland. Whatever any of us may see in the evocative shape, all the new shapes and colors in the Alvar Aalto Collection are true to the original shape and design idea. In the thirties, the vase let flowers be arranged in unusual, and more individual ways, but it also made a courageous statement that indus- trialization was in danger of alienating the indi- vidual in society. In the 21st century, the eternal form continues to provoke attention by letting the owner decide its use and complementing our busy lives with a touch of nature. Most importantly, however, it represents an entire design philosophy that shows how industrial production can create high quality design that improves everyday life. 13 Look back to see the future. Over 50 years ago Kaj Franck defined successful design with his question: “Is not the ultimate meaning of beauty to be essential, functional, justified, and correct?” Design, he felt, is far more than a question of beauty. It is about life. And life, said Franck, consists mostly of everyday events. So ensuring that everyday objects are universally relevant is one of the most important design challenges there is. At Iittala we all agree: no person should ever be stereotyped or alienated by technology or mass production. Well thought-out crafted objects must fulfil our varied individual needs, so that we are free to own only the essential, and not add to the mountains of consumer waste. The system of values created by Aalto and Franck lives on today through our designers who strive to create these affordable and meaningful design solutions. Designers who measure their achievements by quality, rather than lime- light. Designers driven by an unwavering vision of the future as a better place for every human being. Designers who strive to shape the world with lasting everyday design against throwawayism. Lasting everyday design against throwawayism Kaj Franck Kaj Franck’s thinking continues to teach us to value the quality of the everyday life experience above owning a vast amount of useless personal belongings.