Iittala

Founded in 1881, IIittala is a Finnish design company, renowned the world over for its blown glass and its simple, refined, beautiful and functional tableware, equally at home at large dinner parties or on the kitchen table.

ittala is a benchmark of Finnish design whose philosophy is based on functionality, beautiful design and high quality standards. Initially, the company was exclusively a manufacturer of blown glass.

While glass continues to occupy an important place in the Iittala catalogue, notably with the very famous Savoy vase designed by Alvar Aalto for Iittala in 1936, production has diversified to include porcelain, cutlery, kitchen utensils and more.

In 1881, the glass factory was founded in Iittala, a small village 130 km north of Helsinki, by the Swede Petrus Magnus Abrahamsson. At the time, the workforce was imported from Sweden, as glassblowers were not yet to be found in Finland. 

In the early days, the factory produced mainly pharmaceutical bottles and oil lamps, but also a few tableware products, including table glasses. Iittala expanded in the 1920s and 1930s, moving towards more artistic and experimental products, as well as domestic ones, such as the Savoy Vase designed by the young Alvar Aalto. 

Production came to a halt during the Winter and Continuation Wars due to a lack of raw materials, but resumed in 1946, a date from which Iittala enjoyed continued success. 

The Iittala name is associated with some of the world's greatest designers, including Alvar Aalto, creator of the famous Savoy vase in 1936. 

Iittala belongs to the Fiskars group, which also owns the Rörstrand and Arabia brands.