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Glass acts: The theatre of Iittala
A craft choreographed by experience & tradition
From the spectator balcony of Iittala's glassworks, you can witness what looks like a well choreographed routine. On the balcony it's warm, but down by the furnaces - labelled with the Iittala logo - the temperature is even higher. It is here, in the heart of the factory, that the glassware takes shape.
The craftsmen move from one station to the next in a familiar and coordinated way. The pace is gentle, but the movements are precise. On one part of the factory floor, Iittala's latest addition, , is being created, while three glassblowers take turns, almost reverently, to blow a Butler figure from the Birds by Toikka series. Piece by piece, it is blown, allowed to cool and moulded - all in an interplay reminiscent of a dance, choreographed by experience and tradition.
A heritage that has been glowing since 1881
The Iittala glassworks has been in operation since 1881. About 90 minutes’ drive from Helsinki lies the quiet community where the furnaces are never allowed to go out. In the control room, reminiscent of something out of an 80s film, the system is monitored around the clock - without exception. When sand is turned into glass, the right temperature is of the utmost importance. All year round, the fire is kept alive as a constant flow of Finnish moulding tradition and craftsmanship.
Did you know that Finnish sand turns a beautifully green colour naturally when it is turned into glass? To achieve the other colours, sand must be imported from Belgium and mixed with various additives. Red tones are the most demanding to get the right mix of colours.
All around the factory, which is impressive to say the least, we are greeted by concrete, water, sand and fire. It is industrial, human and deeply proud. When Iittala changed its visual identity in 2024, the change was met with fierce protests on social media. The classic red logo was replaced with yellow - a colour that for some felt like a departure from the familiar. But a visit to the factory makes it clear: the colour is no accident.
A new identity - born out of a passion for glass
We humans have a hard time with change, so when one of our most beloved Nordic design brands suddenly threw out its iconic and well-loved red logo, many raised their eyebrows. However, a quick walk through Iittala's glassworks is enough to shed some light on what Creative Director Janni Vepsäläinen wanted to achieve. The new yellow logo is not only visually striking, it is the fire that keeps the furnaces alive; it is the colour of the railings; the warning signs in the factory – these are the details that reflect the intensity of everyday life. The typeface is named after Aino Aalto, a tribute to one of Iittala's greatest composers, and in a way captures the creativity, hard work and craftsmanship that has burned at the heart of Iittala since 1881.
Emerging from the embers, the new era of Iittala draws inspiration from Iittala's own everyday life.
A meeting of wood and fire
In the slightly quieter parts of the factory, carpenters work on turning local wood into moulds that are stored in the nearby lake. These wooden moulds were used to create the Aalto vases until the 1950s and are now only used for special editions. But why? The answer lies in the production. It takes three to four days to make a wooden mould, which is then only used for two days because the mould changes slightly each time it is fired.
With a metal mould, the object is blown into place and can then be left in the mould to cool. In contrast, an object made in a wooden mould must be lifted out and reworked several times and is then left to cool down slowly. It's a manufacturing process that is as much art as it is technology. If the glass mass, which is over 1000 degrees, touches the surfaces of the mould for too long, the wooden mould becomes unusable.
Fire, water & hands form your Alvar Aalto vase.
A living tradition
Few design brands are as present in both the simple moments of everyday life and the celebrations of life as Iittala. It's the obvious answer to the question: ‘What should I set the table with?’ or ‘What to give as a gift?’
To walk through the Iittala glassworks is to catch a glimpse of something bigger than just glass production. It's a meeting between history and the present, between human hands and fire. A living tradition where every object carries a piece of Finland - and the precision that characterises Iittala.
