The classic Kastehelmi range by Oiva Toikka has become one of the most popular ranges in the Iittala collection. A newly designed jar and tumbler follow the Kastehelmi range essentials.
Kastehelmi was designed in 1964, when trendy glass tableware was entering Finnish homes. The range – playful and subtle – has been one of designer Oiva Toikka’s most popular ranges.
Professor Toikka himself has been designing the new items that complement the range. Kastehelmi is an easy way of bringing a dash of festivity to everyday moments, and it’s just as easy to set the table of celebration around it. It is easy to mix and match with items at home with other Iittala items, such as Teema, Taika, Kartio and Kivi.
Professor Toikka has always been a man of practicality and that applies to Kastehelmi, too.
‘I have always seen Kastehelmi as a versatile range. If you eventually get tired of using it as tableware, it works also as decoration for the home.’
The new Kastehelmi jars are just perfect for storing small things in all rooms of the house. It is as suitable for cotton pads in the bathroom as it is as a serving dish at the dinner table, aligned with Iittala philosophy of multi-functionality and versatility.
The lid makes the jar stackable. The Kastehelmi jars are available in two heights and three colors: clear, grey and desert.
Kastehelmi was designed in 1964. As one of the first projects for a newly hired designer, Toikka was asked to design affordable pressed glass tableware for every-day use. His experiments with various droplet moulds resulted in a completely new, three-dimensional surface structure that highlighted light playing on the surface.
ʻWe experimented with the pattern and structure using the mould with a rotating drill, and the outcome was the very image of a pearl – or half a pearl. It was the most beautiful shape and natural design to develop further, the name was obvious for the design,ʼ says Oiva Toikka. The name of the range literally translates as ‘dewdrops’.
To add to the collection of plates, bowls, votives and a stemmed cake stand, all in various Iittala glass colours, Iittala is now adding a practical tumbler. The Kastehelmi tumbler brings colour and texture to the everyday table setting. The glass is a distinctive choice in Iittala’s extensive glass portfolio. The tumbler is available in clear, grey, light blue and desert.
