iittala factory outlet
May 14, 2008
Who is kiasu enough to seek out the Iittala Factory Outlet while in Helsinki? Me! Anyone else who fancies some Finnish design in their home for (slightly) reduced prices can hop on Tram 6 or 8 to the north end of the line to visit the Arabia/Iittala Factory Outlet.
While not as large (or as cheap) as you might imagine, by shopping carefully and choosing between end of line items and seconds, there are some good bardgains to be had. Now, a coffee cup with an orange sleeve lives on both my and Mr. Snow’s desks at work, and three special people each have a Savoy candle holder coming their way soon.
About the iconic wavy shape, the website says, ‘Alvar Aalto created the Aalto vase in various shapes, sizes and colors for Iittala and the World Fair in Paris in 1937. Supposedly, it is based on sketches made with the intriguing pseudonym “The Eskimo Woman’s Leather Breeches”, but Alvar Aalto was the son of a cartographer – perhaps the shapes are derived from the Finnish landscape and lakes.’ So now you know.
