Happy moments to your table

What a beauties!

Two Finnish designer brands do offer new joys to your days in this autumn. (They are those must-have things you did not know you needed before seeing them.)

The Arabia 24h tableware series, designed by Heikki Orvola, has now a lovely Iltalaulu (Evening song) decor. Elegant illustrations for mugs and cups are made by artist Vincent Bakkum. Here you see the giant tea cup with blackbird motif in soft autumn colors.

Marimekko has many talented designers, and one of my favorites is Sami Ruotsalainen. For this autumn he made to his Oiva tableware collection a soup plate with broad rim. Perfect for putting fishbones etc. extras aside...

Marimekko CEO Mika Ihamuotila takes a picture of the designer holding his new plate.

Note! These products are in the shops later this month. 

Photos©Paula Hietaranta

Light inspiration from the nature

Our beloved designer Oiva Toikka, famous for his lovely glass birds, created this mouth-blown glass lamp Kuukuna almost thirty years ago.

Then this soft mood lamp was quite modest, but this autumn it has grown a bit. The small Kuukuna measures now 220 x 190 x 200 mm, the big one 265 x 240 x 230 mm.

By the way, the Finnish word kuukuna means a mushroom, not an egg.

The lamps are in the Iittala shops at the end of this month.

Photo © Paula Hietaranta

New Fashion in Finland, part 8: SAMUJI

Samu-Jussi Koski.
Remember the name.
Samu-Jussi is a Finnish designer who sooner or later will be the hot name on the international fashion scene.
That multi talent, lovely guy was boiled in Marimekko business as a creative director 2008-09, and started Samuji, a label of his own some years go.

In his clothes the quality talks, and they make you more you, only a bit more self-confident and beautiful.

Here are some pictures of his A/W2014 fashion show we saw in Helsinki Taidehalli this spring.

Photos©Jaakko Lukumaa

See the whole collection in Style.Com

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/F2014RTW-samuji/#1

And enjoy also Samuji video Let's not make it complicated, the winner in the category Best Emerging Artist in Berlin Fashion Film Festival in July, he made with Joel Hypén about the same collection.

http://vimeo.com/89381030

A coffee and raw cake heaven in Helsinki

Cafe Kokko is the name of the place, and you find it just round the corner of  Kauppatori market place.

The owner Pasi Kokko turned from a nearly burnout fashion photographer to a barista some years ago, and has now a cafe of his own in Katajanokka. The biggest temptations there along the tasty coffees are gluten- and lactose-free raw cakes and smoothies.

Serving weekend brunches had to be stopped because they were too popular.

Cafe Kokko

Kanavaranta 7 B, first floor

00160 Helsinki

cafekokko.com

Opening hours are Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm.

Photo©Paula Hietaranta

A good tip to a delicious Helsinki lunch

Are you looking for a nice, not too expensive lunch restaurant in the central Helsinki?

My recommendation is the cafe-restaurant Story in the newly renovated Vanha Kauppahalli (Old Market Hall).

There you can enjoy homecooking style food from fresh ingredients from the market hall and market square.

My lunch was a tasty pike burger with potatoes, spinach and tomatoes.

The lunch is served on Mon-Fri from 11am to 4 pm.

The restaurant is open also for breakfasts on Mon-Sat and dinners on Fri-Sat, closed on Sundays.

http://restaurantstory.fi/

Photo©Paula Hietaranta

Girls from Fiskars

Sculptor Kim Simonsson & master goldsmith Saarikorpi Design: 

3D Girl, Edition of 123, 321 e pcs.

Rajapinnat (Blurred lines), this year´s summer exhibition in Fiskars village, is a meeting of three major Finnish creative communities of art, artisan and design, weaving together their power and creative ideas.

Now I would like to introduce to you some charming girls I met there.

Visual artist Piitu Nykopp:13/dozen. 

Mixed media, paper mache, 790 e pcs.

Sculptor Kim Simonsson & master goldsmith Saarikorpi Design: 

Treasure Hunter, 1/10, necklace, silver and peridot, 3450 e.

Artist Katja Öhrnberg: Message in a bottle. 

Mixed media, price available upon request.

Graphic artist Viivi Varesvuo & woodenboat builder Jussi Nordberg: 

Stool. Ash, hazel, jewellery. 500-545 e pcs.

Rajapinnat exhibition is open until 14th September. Open daily from 11 am to 6 pm.
http://www.fiskarsvillage.fi/en/events/summer-exhibition-blurred-lines

Photos Paula Hietaranta