# Iittala Aalto Vase: A vase with wavy walls > Iittala’s clear Aalto vase has an outline that makes it distinctive, and one owner praises it for making flowers easy to arrange. - Collection: Braddi № 001 - Category: Vase - Maker: Iittala - Designer: Alvar Aalto - Since: 1936 - Page: https://braddi.com/objects/iittala-aalto-vase - Published: 13 Nov 2026 ## Why it is in the collection The Aalto vase has an uneven, rippling rim instead of a circular opening. Architect Amanda Levete told The Observer that flowers are easy to arrange in it. We like that its unusual shape has a purpose, though we couldn’t find comparative testing of the current 160 mm version. Alvar Aalto submitted the design to a glassworks competition in 1936. The first series was made for the Finnish section of the 1937 Paris World Exhibition. The familiar 160 mm height came later, in 1957. Iittala still makes the vase in Finland, using mouth-blown glass. It suits someone who wants a vase with a distinctive outline and doesn’t mind hand-washing it. Skip it if you want glassware that can go in the dishwasher, or a vase you can leave in direct sunlight when filled with water. ## Worth knowing - **An owner’s view.** Architect Amanda Levete told The Observer that flowers are easy to arrange in the vase. That’s one owner’s account, rather than a comparative test of this version. [8] - **A 1936 competition.** Alvar Aalto submitted the design to the Karhula-Iittala glassworks competition in 1936. The first glassware series was produced for the Finnish section of the 1937 Paris World Exhibition. [2] - **The Savoy name.** The vase takes its other name from Helsinki’s Restaurant Savoy, where it has been used since 1937. Aino and Alvar Aalto used it when designing the restaurant’s furnishings and fixtures. [2, 12] - **A later height.** The vases became 160 mm high from 1957 onwards. An earlier example documented by the Aalto Foundation stands 140 mm high. [2] ## Design details - **Made in Finland.** Iittala says the glass is mouth-blown at its Finnish glass factory, then hand-cut and polished several times. [1] - **The clear version.** The 160 mm clear vase, article 1007041, is 16 cm high and 20.8 cm long. Iittala lists its weight as 1.55 kg. [1] ## Drawbacks - **Hand wash only.** Iittala specifies hand-washing for this vase. For stubborn stains on glass, it recommends soaking and warns that abrasive pads and scouring powders can scratch the surface. [1, 6] - **Watch the sunlight.** Iittala warns against leaving a water-filled vase in direct sunlight: concentrated light can damage nearby objects and surfaces. This is general guidance for glass vases. [6] - **No listed repair scheme.** The maker’s opened product and terms pages don’t specify a repair programme or breakage-replacement promise for the vase. Specialist glass restoration may still be possible. [1, 5] - Good for: People who want a mouth-blown glass vase with an unusual shape for displaying flowers. - Not for: People who want a dishwasher-safe vase or plan to keep a water-filled vase in direct sunlight. ## What independent reviewers found - The New York Review of Books [7]. Liked: In an exhibition review, Martin Filler praised the vase’s clean lines and economical use of material. ## Prices (as checked; not live, no stock information) - Iittala (manufacturer): €250, 160 mm, clear; 1007041, checked 13 Nov 2026. https://iittala.com/products/alvar-aalto-collection-vase-160mm-clear - Connox (retailer): €169.40, 160 mm, Transparent, checked 13 Nov 2026. https://www.connox.com/products/iittala-aalto-vase-savoy-160-mm - Finnish Design Shop (retailer): €209, 160 mm, transparent; II000444, checked 13 Nov 2026. https://www.finnishdesignshop.com/de-de/produkt/aalto-vase-160-mm-transparent ## Specification - Colour: Clear [1] - Height: 16 cm [1] - Length: 20.8 cm [1] - Weight: 1.55 kg [1] - Material: Glass [1] - Production: Mouth-blown, hand-cut and polished [1] - Country of origin: Finland [1] - Design year: 1936 [2] - Care: Hand wash only [1] - Article number: 1007041 [1] - EAN: 6411920004445 [1] ## Sources 1. Iittala: Alvar Aalto Collection vase 160mm clear. https://iittala.com/products/alvar-aalto-collection-vase-160mm-clear 2. Alvar Aalto Foundation: Aalto Vase. https://www.alvaraalto.fi/en/work/aalto-vase/ 3. Iittala: 1007041 product photograph. https://iittala.com/cdn/shop/files/1007041_01.jpg?v=1790593658&width=1920 4. Iittala: The Icon of Finnish Design is Born Every Day. https://websolutions.ne.cision.com/newsrooms/iittala/Documents/Aalto%20_Collection_ENG_FIN.pdf 5. Iittala: Terms of sale. https://iittala.com/pages/terms-of-sale 6. Iittala: Product care. https://iittala.com/pages/product-care 7. The New York Review of Books: Giant in the Woods. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1998/04/09/giant-in-the-woods/ 8. The Guardian: Back to the future. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/mar/12/modernism 9. ICON Magazine: Iittala brings iconic Aalto Vase into public architecture for 3daysofdesign. https://www.iconeye.com/architecture/iittala-iconic-aalto-vase-public-architecture-3daysofdesign 10. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Alvar Aalto - Savoy. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/484153 11. Corning Museum of Glass: “Savoy” Vase. https://glasscollection.cmog.org/objects/20122/vase 12. V&A: Modernism and the natural world – the designs of Alvar and Aino Aalto. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/modernism-and-the-natural-world-the-designs-of-alvar-aalto-andaino-aalto 13. Connox: Aalto Vase Savoy 160 mm by Iittala. https://www.connox.com/products/iittala-aalto-vase-savoy-160-mm 14. Finnish Design Shop: Aalto Vase, 160 mm, transparent. https://www.finnishdesignshop.com/de-de/produkt/aalto-vase-160-mm-transparent Facts are from the numbered sources; the judgement is Braddi's. Its studio images are AI-generated.