Glass Vase by Alvar Aalto

With the Finlandia collection, Iittala complements the Savoy series. Nearly identical in shape but taller than the original and tapering slightly toward the bottom, the Finlandia vase is particularly well-suited for larger bouquets and long-stemmed flowers. While many European designers glorified the machine revolution, their Scandinavian colleagues turned to nature. Alvar Aalto was one of the trendsetters with his organic forms, as seen in the Savoy Vase. His vase is world-famous. The same natural forms recur time and again in his work: in the undulating walls of the Finnish Pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, in the architecture of the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus, in armchairs, screen walls, and tea carts. Aalto was firmly convinced that design should be human down to the smallest detail. At Iittala ’s request, Alvar Aalto the Aalto vase in various shapes, sizes, and colors for the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. Alvar Aalto was the son of a cartographer—perhaps the vase’s shapes are inspired by Finnish landscapes and lakes. The timeless Aalto vase is one of the world’s most famous glass objects; it is synonymous with Finnish glass art and the manufacturer Iittala . Alvar’s so-called Savoy Vase Aalto is on display in the world’s leading design museums.