Heikki Orvola

The Finnish designer Heikki Orvola (b. 1943) is one of the driving forces within Finnish design. He works in glass, ceramics, cast iron and textiles. Orvola has worked for the industrial art business, but he has also worked in a variety of different materials as a form of pure, artistic expression.

Heikki Orvola has started his career as a glass artist in Nuutajärvi, one of Iittala’s glass factories. For Iittala he designed Kivi candleholders (1988), which have become a popular collector’s item. Kivi candleholders are available in a wide range of colours and every year new colours are added. These candleholders show the designer’s thorough knowledge of glass. Heikki Orvola’s creations include also Aika dishware collection (2006) for Iittala and the 24h dishware series (1996) for Arabia, for which he has received the Design Plus Award at the Ambiente International Fair in Frankfurt. For Arabia Heikki Orvola designed also Carambola, a beautiful vase made of bone china. During his career as a designer, Heikki Orvola has received awards and prizes, including the Kaj Franck prize in 1998 and the Pro Finland Medal – two of Finland’s most important design prizes. Heikki Orvola received the title of professor in 2002. The designer’s glass and ceramics objects have been in many private and group exhibitions all over the world and his works are present in many museums worldwide.