Artek's flagship store has jumped from one historic Helsinki property to another. Closing its Eteläesplanadi grand boulevard hub in January, the global culture and lifestyle brand has reopened in an Eliel Saarinen designed property, which couldn't be more centrally located.
Dating back to 1921, the building is located just opposite the Stockmann department store on Keskuskatu, Helsinki's main pedestrian street. The move is more than just about centrality (the previous location was just a short walk further out) – it also marks a return to the company's geographical roots. Between 1954 and 1991, Artek was housed next door, in Alvar Aalto's modernist Rautatalo (or 'Iron House').
The new store's façade allows floods of light through the art nouveau arched windows and, inside, the space has been completely opened up to reveal a vast, warehouse-style display room. Artek's furniture, lighting and accessories are on show in their entirety, organised into individual living clusters over two floors, which helps to demarcate the sprawling, 700 sq m design experience. There's also plenty of space to line with marble shelves, with wares from like-minded Nordic firms Knoll, String and Vitra, to name a few.
Highlights include product launches direct from the trade fairs and Artek Helsinki 'specials' (which are only available in store), as well as a workshop, where Alvar Aalto’s acclaimed 'Stool 60' can be customised on site by clients. Here at Wallpaper*, we are particularly fond of the substantial magazine and art-book nook, which feels more like a relaxed coffee-shop than a design store.
The floorplan also includes a corner dedicated to continuing the legacy of Galerie Artek (established in the 1950s at the Rautatalo store), providing a stage for artists and makers to showcase their work, suggesting that the brand's philosophy of promoting a 'grand synthesis of all the arts' is still at the company's beating heart.
Dating back to 1921, the building is located just opposite the Stockmann department store on Keskuskatu, Helsinki's main pedestrian street
Between 1954 and 1991, Artek was housed next door, in Alvar Aalto's modernist Rautatalo (or 'Iron House')
Inside, the space has been completely opened up to reveal a vast, warehouse-style display room
Artek's furniture, lighting and accessories are on show in their entirety, organised into individual living clusters over two floors, which helps to demarcate the 700 sq m design experience
There's also plenty of space to line with marble shelves, with wares from like-minded Nordic firms Knoll, String and Vitra, to name a few
The floorplan also includes a corner dedicated to continuing the legacy of Galerie Artek (established in the 1950s at the Rautatalo store), providing a stage for artists and makers to showcase their work
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Artek website
Photography courtesy Artek Helsinki
ADDRESS
Artek
Keskuskatu 1B 00100
Helsinki
-
‘I’ve considered every single detail’: how Victoria Beckham designed the perfect make-up brush collectionVictoria Beckham speaks to Wallpaper* about the meticulous design process behind her debut collection of make-up brushes, which perfectly treads a line between form and function
-
Can Maserati modernise or is the sun setting on one of Italy’s most beloved automotive brands?Maserati’s GranTurismo Folgore is an epic electric grand tourer without equal. If only its traditionalist customers wanted it more
-
Viviane Sassen considers fine art, fashion photography and fragility in ItalyViviane Sassen’s exhibition, 'This Body Made of Stardus' at Collezione Maramotti, spans two decades off Sassen's career
-
Tour Yrjö Kukkapuro’s studio – a temple to the art of sitting downJoin us on a studio visit of Finnish interior architect and furniture designer Yrjö Kukkapuro
-
Artist Fischli/Weiss puts quizzical stamp on Alvar Aalto’s ‘Stool 60’Fischli/Weiss transforms the Alvar Aalto ‘Stool 60’ into a multifarious, whimsical sculpture full of burning questions, as part of the ICA x Artek Artist’s Editions series
-
Finnish design gets redefined by new disruptor VaarniiNewly launched design brand Vaarnii enlisted a group of international designers to create a collection of minimalist furniture in pine wood, available from Finnish Design Shop and Artek
-
Philippe Malouin designs sculptures that house your personal waresWorking with a team of master craftsmen, Philippe Malouin creates a range of curved home objects for Finnish brand Iittala, titled Kuru
-
New Beirut design store offers a twist on Mediterranean maximalism -
Lemon studio grows with new creative emporium in Cape Town -
Inside Karen Chekerdjian’s new HQ in Beirut’s industrial district -
SCP returns to west London with a small but smart boutique
