iittala

Iittala creates essential design that lasts

Iittala has always believed that everyone has the right to expect design to last a lifetime. It is a radical thought in today’s high-speed consumer society, where most of the things we buy are made to be replaced. This movement against “throwawayism” drives the Iittala brand forward.

All Iittala objects are designed to combine effortlessly with one another. By stripping each plate, bowl or tumbler back to its purest form, essential design lets the end user decide the use, so we can own fewer things that do more.

Ittala creates looks for the table that span a wide range of design styles. Dinnerware like Teema, designed in 1952, was joined by more recent additions Origo, Aika, Takia, Ego and Bottna. Likewise, classic glassware like Aino Aalto (1932) and Aarne (1948), designed years ago, still ring true today, complemented by more recent glassware designs. Finish the tablescape with flatware like Citterio 98, Piano and Mango.

Iittala produces porcelain dinnerware, drinking glasses, flatware, kitchen tools, cookware, and decorative glass including the Iittala Birds. Iittala also offers Arabia products. European Tableware is an authorized dealer of Iittala and is happy to take special orders.

The Iittala Story

Iittala (pronounced EE-tuh-luh) is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. Iittala has been creating essential design since its first glass factory opened in 1881, founded by Swede Petrus Magnus Abrahamsson. Working with the best designers such as Alvar and Aino Aalto and Timo Sarpaneva in the 1920s and 1930s, the company expanded into more experimental and artistic ventures. Today, the company is known for outstanding design and craftsmanship. The dinnerware that Kaj Franck designed in 1952, Teema, is still a top seller today. In 1973, Oiva Toikka, one of the great names in Finnish design, originated the highly collectible Iittala Birds. Each of these lyrical creatures is a unique mouth-blown work of art, poetry in everyday life.