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Kaija Helena Aarikka-Ruokonen (3 February 1929 — 14 August 2014) was a
In 1954, Aarikka co-founded together with her husband the eponymous design bureau Aarikka, to design and manufacture initially wooden buttons and decorative and household items, later expanding also into personal accessories, dress jewellery and giftware. She worked there as the firm's head designer and Artistic Director for most of her career, also taking over management duties including chairing the Board of Directors from 1977.
The first Aarikka store opened in 1960, and by the 1980s there were 20.
Aarikka is best known for her simplistic wooden designs, often in characteristic round shapes. One of her most iconic creations is the wooden ''Pässi'' ('Ram') sculpture.
From the early 1970s onwards, she also provided free-lance design services for Humppila and Ahlstrom glassworks (both now part of
Aarikka Museum
with history of the company and the designer {{DEFAULTSORT:Aarikka, Kaija Finnish designers Product designers 1929 births 2014 deaths People from Somero Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture alumni Pro Finlandia Medals of the Order of the Lion of Finland
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
designer and entrepreneur.
Early life and education
Kaija Aarikka was born inSomero
Somero () is a town and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Southwest Finland region in the province of Western Finland, located northeast of Salo, east of Turku and northwest of Helsinki. The municipality has a population of () and cove ...
to a farming family; her parents were Väinö Aarikka and Alma Maria Kares.
She completed lower secondary school in 1945, and later studied textile arts
Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects.
Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials u ...
and design at the ''Taideteollinen Oppilaitos'' school of design (now part of Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Aalto is a Finnish surname meaning "wave". Notable people with the surname include:
* Aino Aalto (1894–1949), Finnish architect and designer
* Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat
* Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), Finnish architect and design ...
), graduating in 1954.
Career
In 1954, Aarikka co-founded together with her husband the eponymous design bureau Aarikka, to design and manufacture initially wooden buttons and decorative and household items, later expanding also into personal accessories, dress jewellery and giftware. She worked there as the firm's head designer and Artistic Director for most of her career, also taking over management duties including chairing the Board of Directors from 1977.
The first Aarikka store opened in 1960, and by the 1980s there were 20.
Aarikka is best known for her simplistic wooden designs, often in characteristic round shapes. One of her most iconic creations is the wooden ''Pässi'' ('Ram') sculpture.
From the early 1970s onwards, she also provided free-lance design services for Humppila and Ahlstrom glassworks (both now part of Iittala
Iittala, founded as a glassworks in 1881, is a Finnish design brand specialising in design objects, tableware and cookware. Iittala's official i-logo was designed by Timo Sarpaneva in 1956.
Iittala has strong design roots in glasswares and art gl ...
) as well as for Tampella
Oy Tampella Ab was a Finnish heavy industry manufacturer, a maker of paper machines, locomotives, military weaponry, as well as wood-based products such as packaging. The company was based mainly in the Naistenlahti district of the city of ...
textiles. One of Aarikka's glass designs for Humppila is in the British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
collections.
Awards and honours
In 1994, Aarikka received the ' medal of theOrder of the Lion of Finland
The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President o ...
.
In 1999, to mark her 70th birthday, the honorary title of ' was bestowed on Aarikka.
Personal life
In 1954, Aarikka married businessman Erkki Ruokonen; the couple had three daughters. Her favourite pastimes included theatre, literature, and outdoor pursuits. She died, aged 85, following a long illness.Notes
References
External links
Aarikka Museum
with history of the company and the designer {{DEFAULTSORT:Aarikka, Kaija Finnish designers Product designers 1929 births 2014 deaths People from Somero Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture alumni Pro Finlandia Medals of the Order of the Lion of Finland