Helsinki Highlights
Last week I traveled to Helsinki for a few days. It was a whirlwind four days of sensory overload - food, art, design and more. Helsinki is the 2012 World Design Capital and I didn't want to leave any stone unturned. Known for being the birthplace of much of mid-century design, art and architecture, seeing the city in this spotlight was all the more poignant. Helsinki is an interesting mix of European old world charm & refinement, with broad cobblestoned avenues, finely manicured city parks and Art Nouveau architecture. The city has clearly embraced its place in history as a leader in design and there are many examples to be seen in the streets. From doorknobs to the street lamps that line the main "esplanadi," there's nothing mundane about Helsinki. All of the details have been considered, right down to the address numbers on buildings...you can take a font tour of Helsinki to see the unique signage used everywhere. Even the bicycle lanes have been carefully designed and bikes are a main mode of transportation in the spring & summer months. I saw many stylish men and women biking to work. The people are open and friendly, and I've never seen so many cafes or coffee shops anywhere. We ate in a couple amazing restaurants - I will blog about those later. We had sunshine, blue skies and mid-50's temps...a little taste of winter in August. I can only imagine what it feels like in January!! There was so much to see and soak up, and I'm still processing it all. Here are a few highlights.
Ceramics by renowned Finnish-American sculptor Rudy Autio
 |
Flying bunnies
a beaded bird...Finnish folk art
I saw very few ordinary doorknobs in Helsinki. Most doors had some very cool hardware.
a big apple doorknob on a local gallery
a little taxidermy with gemstones, crystals & beads at the Kiasma museum
A photograph from Norway at the Kiasma museum. I love her face....
Mid-century street lamps a la Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen
 |
| Photo, Design Within Reach |
Finnish fashions from classic Marimekko to indie designers
a cool chair in our hotel lobby
I LOVE English Peas...and the Finnish version are quite literally the largest I have ever seen. We ate an entire bag for lunch!
The famed Savoy restaurant, designed by Alvar Aalto, was closed for a private function, but they let us sneak in to have a peek at the decor and I was blown away by their rooftop herb garden...
Fraise du bois....
The Klaus K, our chic hotel
Bike lanes run throughout the city and have a lane for the bike, a spot for planting trees, and the sidewalk for pedestrians
architectural details...
A Finnish classic...chic Iittala Thule glassware in my hotel bathroom
