iittala Aalto Rain Vases

A misty grey-blue hue, the 2014 iittala glass color "Rain" at first seems mysterious but then becomes a familiar memory. It is the color of both the frozen-over creek behind your winter cabin and the quiet summer storms that pitter-patter against your window, carrying its charm between seasons. With a surname that appropriately means "Wave" in Finnish, Alvar Aalto created the fluid form in 1936 with inspiration from the free-flowing lines of Finland's water-rich landscape. The design was unveiled the following year at the Paris World Fair, where the crowds fell in love with its effortless elegance. Though the award-winning design's raw beauty seems like an organic occurence, it requires 7 craftsmen, 12 work stages and 30 hours to create just one of these extraordinary works of art.