Tea Trolley 900

Soon it’ll be book fair time again in Frankfurt. And as always, the fair’s Guest of Honor country gets to shape the face of culture in the city for a short time. So what does Finland have to offer in addition to vodka and forests, sauna and Saarinen, Artek and Aalto?

How much are titles, prizes and other distinctions really worth? What some consider a mark of quality is seen by others as a red rag. The Finnish capital Helsinki has been selected as the World Design Capital 2012 – and is definitely worth a visit.

He knew how spaces functioned and how to build modern furniture without requiring tubular steel: Walking in Alvar Aalto’s footsteps in Finland.

“An impure tongue does not taste; dulled senses only notice the sharpest stimuli, or they chew more than they feel.” – Johann Gottfried von Herder

They’re back in fashion – small, light armchairs with a wooden or tubular steel frame. In the 1950s and 1960s they came to fame as “easy chairs”; now they’ve morphed into “lounge chairs”. For the office or the home.

News from the North? Yes, indeed! Even though the makers of the Stockholm Furniture Fair have completely revised the hall layout we managed to glimpse the hottest innovations – here are the 12 most exciting ones.

Vitra Design Museum is focusing on Alvar Aalto. And the result is more than just another show on that Grand Old Master of Modernism.

The “Helsinki Design Week” took place for the 10th time this year. For all those who may have forgotten what makes Finnish design so special – the trade fair complex and Helsinki’s Design District provided a lot to bring things back to mind.

Milan in the days of the Salone and Fuori Salone – is a hodgepodge of impressions, encounters and cameo stories. In terms of form and content, they are as different as, say, people, furniture, brands, and markets.

Not officially presented yet, but definitely a cameo piece of his exhibition at Vitra Design Museum: Konstantin Grcic’ new “Rival Chair”.

Maxie Eisen is the latest culinary addition to the renowned district round Frankfurt’s main station. The bistro-and-bar is not only the new place-to-be for fans of pastrami but will – thanks to the stylish interiors by the likes of Jean Prouvé and Ilmari Tapiovaara – equally appeal to lovers of good design. Only the mafia should have been kept outside.