Travel: Why Helsinki is a design destination

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The Regime. Pohjoisesplanadi is also home to the Iittala & Arabia flagship store. Founded in 1881, Iittala is a glassware brand so integral to the homes and lives of locals that its rebranding and redesigned logo earlier this year sparked national outrage.

New look aside, Iittala hasn’t messed with signatures—such as the wavy Aalto Vase, created in the 1930s by renowned Finnish designer Alvar Aalto. Almost a century later, the design remains a hot-seller. Other standouts include the whimsical Birds by Toikka figures, Kastehelmi glassware recognisable by their dotted surfaces, and the Taika Sato crockery featuring Klaus Haapaniemi’s artworks.

A quick detour towards Keskuskatu leads to Artek, another local institution whose furniture conflates aesthetics and functionality. Take for instance, the “Paimio" armchair—also crafted by Alvar Aalto—recognised by its rippling structure. Aalto originally crafted it for patients in a tuberculosis sanatorium.

Or the three-legged, mid-century classic, “Stool 60" that multitasks as a seat, table, and display unit. Put the design innovations of brands like Artek, Iittala and Marimekko together, and one begins to understand how Finland occupies such a significant spot in the Nordic design ecosystem. A few more design shops in the neighbourhood worth visiting are located at the CraftCorner retail space and gallery at Unionkatu26 (Eteläesplanadi).

Check metal brand Latimeria, whose salad servers and pasta spoons resemble tall, lean trees. Ehkä Design’s dresses and home textiles portray watercolour prints of sparrows, pigeons, and plants while HuiHui Textiles makes pleated, size-inclusive Vekki skirts. The two stores are a showcase of design ingenuity and the local affinity for handmade