Furniture and Home

photo © Visit Finland / Aku Pöllänen

Finnish interior design, furniture and home furnishings have developed a reputation internationally for quality, simplicity and functionality, while still retaining their unique aesthetic appeal, and names like Iittala, Artek, Arabia and Marimekko are now global brands.

The largest concentration of shops specialising in products for the home can be found in Design District Helsinki, especially in the area around Diana park and Fredrikinkatu, and on the both sides of Esplanade Park as you walk towards the harbour and the Kauppatori market place.

Names to look out for are Aarikka, specialising in home decoration design and jewelry; Iittala, who produce glassware, tableware, and cooking ware; Arabia tableware; Finlayson, a long established manufacturer of quality textiles; Artek, who create modern furniture; Verso, a company renowned for the quality of its carpets and other interior design products; Tonfisk, a new company creating a range of innovative tableware; Adelta, who manufacture Eero Aarnio designed chairs like the Bubble and Ball chairs; and Freedom of Creation, who have won numerous design awards, been listed in Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people and ideas in design (and appeared on the magazine’s cover!), featured in the Financial Times ‘Superior Design’ supplement, and whose D50 light has been chosen for the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Arts & Design.