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Alvar Aalto Collection – Iittala

Alvar Aalto, 1936

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Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

The Aalto vase is an iconic piece of Finnish design, created by Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino Marsio in 1936. It is also known as the Savoy vase. The Savoy vase was part of a range of furniture created by Alvar and Aino Aalto for the Savoy restaurant in Helsinki, which opened in 1937.

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

The Aalto vase won a design competition in 1936 for the glassmaker Iittala, which still produces it today. Aalto was inspired to design it by the folds of a Same (Eskimo) woman's leather dress.

Mouthblown glass Alvar Aalto vases

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

In 2025, Iittala celebrates the timeless legacy of Alvar Aalto with a new collection of mouth-blown vases, reviving the artisanal technique that made these Scandinavian design icons world-famous.

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Find your mouthblown Aalto vase

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

This approach contrasts with the often more uniform pressed-glass versions, and revives the original spirit of Alvar Aalto's design, where nature meets functionality.

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Each vase in this collection is a unique work of art, handcrafted by seven artisans at the Iittala glassworks in Finland. The process, involving 12 stages, 10 hours of work and a temperature of 1000°C, guarantees exceptional quality and subtle variations that give each piece its distinctive character.

Available in a renewed color palette, including classic shades such as “1937” and transparent, as well as daring limited editions such as turquoise, these vases come in several sizes (120, 180 and 200mm).

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Clear

Find your clear Aalto vase

Opal

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Moss green

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Copper

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Salmon pink

Find you salmon pink Aalto vase

Dark grey

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Linen

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Cranberry

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Alvar Aalto Ø60 mm votives

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Find your Alvar Aalto votive

Glass bowls

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Find your glass bowl

Steel bowls

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Find your steel bowl

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

The initial production of the vase was fraught with difficulties, and the original idea of using thin sheet steel moulds had to be abandoned in favour of a wooden mould, which would gradually burn down.

The design of the vase consisted of a series of pencil drawings on rough paper, before Aalto created the first blown-glass prototypes with the help of a set of wooden sticks stuck into the ground to make the shapes of the molten glass undulate.

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

The vase is produced in a wide range of colours, and its simple lines have made it a constant success since its creation.

The vase was presented at the 1937 Universal Exhibition in Paris. Its original height was 140 mm. Aalto never won any money with it, as his design belonged to the Iittala company for which the competition had been organised.

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Collection Alvar Aalto design Alvar Aalto, 1936

Alvar Aalto

‍Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is a recognised master of modern architecture and design. Born in Kuortane, Finland, Alvar Aalto quickly came to prominence after graduating in architecture from Helsinki Polytechnic in 1921.

‍In 1924, he married the architect Aino Marsio and formed a lasting partnership with her. During his remarkable career, Alvar Aalto designed major public institutions - concert halls, museums, universities, libraries, etc. - as well as private homes throughout the world. - as well as private homes throughout the world. The furniture, lighting and objects he has created derive organically from his architectural work.

‍Alvar Aalto's unique aesthetic has played a decisive role in defining Finnish design and making it known throughout the world. The foundations of his aesthetic are based on a harmonious relationship with nature, a functionalism concerned with beauty, an extreme attention to detail and an ingenious use of materials.

‍Alvar Aalto's creations were soon exhibited in museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His reputation there began in 1930, with the presentation at the New York World's Fair of the Savoy vase, whose undulating design, as lively and fluid as the Finnish lakes that inspired it, caused a sensation. The legendary vase is one of the most famous glass objects in the world and remains a timeless element of Iittala.

Alvar Aalto