Alvar Aalto’s Savoy Vase Goes Global at 90

In 1936, Alvar Aalto designed one of Finland’s most recognizable decorative objects: the wavy Savoy vase. Iittala fetes the design’s 90th year with the limited-edition iridescent Aalto 90 City collection, which reinterprets the mouth-blown glass vessel through the lenses of six global capitals. Much like their namesake metropolises, each carries distinct architectural flair. Copenhagen’s pink-brown glass is reminiscent of coppery waterfront rooftops, while Helsinki’s light-gray glass conveys Nordic minimalism. Berlin pulsates in ultramarine, Amsterdam flaunts dichroic dark gray, Tokyo charms in soft lilac tones evoking neon-lit cherry blossoms, and New York employs translucency to mirror soaring skyscrapers. We like to think this jet-setting collection honors Aalto’s canon, which celebrated fun, freedom, and humanist design principles above all else. iittala.com

OBJECTS of design 90 years: Iittala