Iittala: A Brief History of a Long-established Company

Some years ago, I wrote a series of features for The Financial Times about international design - how different countries decorate their houses, and the differences and common themes between them.

kastehelmi vase by Iittala

My sons were at primary school in North London and there was an international set of mothers in the playground who I could mine for information. Having written about France, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, I reached Finland on my virtual travels and asked Elena if she had any pointers to get me started.

She told me about the quality of the light in Finland, which is so beautiful that it makes glass look wonderful. Especially coloured glass. She had a large collection on her shelves in her north London home, although it didn’t look quite the same as it did in Helsinki, she said.