New design centre opens in Helsinki

Iittala & Arabia Design Centre opens in Helsinki and offers design events all year round for both locals and visitors.

Iittala & Arabia Design Centre is the latest addition to Helsinki’s design scene.

The centre offers a diverse programme of activities for audiences with an interest in design. The centre is located in Arabia, Helsinki, where the history of the brands Iittala and Arabia has been made for more than 130 years and they continue to be developed with passion.

Arabia Center is one of Helsinki’s key tourist attractions, particularly for visitors from Asia, so the centre offers interesting content for tourists.

Also the shop has been revamped and presents the extensive range of Iittala and Arabia products where they were originally created.

“We aim to offer interesting discussions and content in the field of design. Hopefully, the centre will also become a place that connects brands to the surrounding community and that people enjoy visiting. We are particularly hopeful that local residents will consider the place their own. There is a strong community in the area and we want to be part of it,” says Leni Valsta, SVP for Iittala and Arabia.

The legendary ninth floor continues to host close collaboration between partners. The Arabia Art Department Society’s artists continue to create unique ceramics and short series on the premises and visitors are now able to go and see them at work. Design Museum Arabia tells the story of Finnish ceramics and glass.

”The completely renovated and spacious exhibition area is designed as a total experience. The history of glass and ceramics is described with themes and a timeline, without forgetting our youngest visitors”, says curator Katarina Siltavuori, responsible for the exhibition at Design Museum.

Events all year round Galleria Arabia is transformed into a Design Lab, an event space that strives to embody an experimental spirit.

The space is open for everyone to visit, gain inspiration and get involved. Until the end of January, the Design Lab will be showing Harri Koskinen’s optical coloured glass experiments and Ville Andersson’s graphics for Arabia’s most popular shapes.

The Iittala & Arabia Design Centre is a natural addition to Fiskars Group’s list of visitor attractions. Iittala’s factory, located on the glass hill in Hämeenlinna, Finland, invites visitors to observe glassblowing, while Fiskars Village offers the opportunity to find out about the company’s roots.

Iittala & Arabia Design Centre, Helsinki