Organic, raw and ecological

Last year just before my baby was born I received a package from Finland. It contained a magazine about babies, kitchen towel, ecological cleaning rags and raw chocolate. What a wonderful gift! I was excited about all things and apart from the Vauva-magazine other stuff were new acquintances for me.

I had never heart about Kierti, a Finnish company started in 2008. All their products focus on sustainability. The items are mostly cleaning items. They sell washable bamboo and hemp cleaning rags and also hemp yarn if you prefer to produce your cleaning rag by yourself.

Other new thing is raw chocolate. In Helsinki there is the company Goodio with a big heart and sweet tooth that is producing small scale raw chocolate. Raw chocolate is chocolate that is produced using only original raw materials and without using heating in the production. This way the chocolate doesn't loose all its precious materials; vitamins, enzymes etc. The taste is quite different than milk chocolate, but a bit similar as dark chocolate. I recommend to try this out.

More of Klaus Haapaniemi

In my last post I didn't really present the Finnish illustrator Klaus Haapaniemi so now here I will do it. For the first time I got to know him in 2007 when he illustrated ceramic collection Taika for Arabia, the Finnish dinner ware company. (Arabia is an old, famous ceramic factory in Finland that started to create dinner ware for Finnish households already back in 1873.)

In 2007 Taika was something new as the illustration was so fabulous and not anything like the typical minimalism that describes the Finnish design in general. It was very well welcomed and today if you pass by Helsinki airport inside the tax free area you can find  cafeteria that serves the coffees in these Klaus Haapaniemi Taika-mugs. When we were enjoying the last coffee before our return flight to Barcelona my boyfriend wanted to rob a mug, but as I was with him I strongly forbidded it. Gosh!

In 2010 Klaus Haapaniemi has founded a design studio with Mia Wallenius and as they describes it "Their design approach is influenced by nature, Finnish folklore, fantasy and traditional decorative arts with modern twist." In their web shop there is plenty, plenty of textile items shawls, pillows, rugs etc. to purchase.

Taika, Arabia; illustration Klaus Haapaniemi; form Heikki Orvola

Korento, Arabia; illustration Klaus Haapaniemi; form Heikki Orvola. In summer I found this on sale at the airport of Helsinki and as I tried to be reasonable I didn't buy it, a fact I regret now.

In 2011 Valio made a campaign inviting various artist to illustrate their milk carton. This is Klaus Haapaniemi's version of it.

Here some examples of what the Design Studio has in their web shop.

Bees blanket, lamb wool

Forest square, silk brocade woven on loom

Special Christmas paper decorations

Running fox-cushion, printed on linen