Round shapes appealed to Kaija Aarikka from the very beginning. The buttons and wooden jewelry were followed by silver jewelry, candle holders, toys, gifts and home decoration products. Aarikka back then was original, bold and natural, as it is to this day. Aarikka is still inspired by round shapes, and other characteristic elements in Aarikka products include vibrant colour, coziness and joy.
Aarikka’s design is headed by Pauliina Aarikka, daughter of the company’s founder, Kaija Aarikka. Over the decades, Aarikka’s in-house designers have been joined by many guest designers such as Aino Favén, Jorma Vennola, Jukka Rintala, Tuula Falk, Markku Salo, Paola Suhonen, Anna Ruohonen, Anu Leinonen, Kalle Kuusela, Elina Helenius, Kaisli Kiuru, Anneli Aaltonen and Eero Sairanen. Each of them has left their own mark on Aarikka’s language of design.
Aarikka employs a number of subcontractors and employers who work from home, and in addition, the company offers assembly and packaging work to workshops promoting social inclusion and employment. Transportation journeys can be kept short because products are assembled locally. In addition to local manufacturing, Aarikka products’ eco-friendliness is also increased by avoiding unnecessary use of packaging materials and favoring of eco-friendly raw materials such as wood.
Take a tour at the Aarikka museum! Aarikka's virtual museum contains fascinating and cheerful excerpts from the past: newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements, product images, and stories from Aarikka’s journey and Finnish design, over a period spanning six decades. Many of the pieces in the museum awaken memories and a sense of familiarity, but do you remember the brass waistcoat from the 1960s or the silver tie from the 1970s? What about the Palloshakki chess game or the mobile phone stand?
