Founded in
1873, Arabia of Finland has become one of the most renowned and highly regarded
manufacturers of porcelain dishes in the world. The brand today stands firmly
as a vanguard of Nordic tableware design and quality.
The
intricacy and timelessness of their designs as well as the great quality of their
products that were once made in the Nordic countries are the reason that vintage
Arabia items are today highly regarded by fans and collectors alike.
All Arabia
of Finland dishes & tableware in our shop were produced in the Nordic
countries. These beautiful sets are out of production or are nowadays being
produced outside of the Nordics. Get them while they are still in stock and add
an irreplicable aesthetic brilliance to your dining experience!
A Short History of Arabia
of Finland
Arabia of
Finland was founded in 1873 as a subsidiary of Rörstrand, a legendary Nordic
brand in its own right. The name Arabia stems from a plot of land north of
Helsinki on which the first factory was built.
Rörstrand’s
initial motivation to found Arabia was to gain an easier access to the vast
Russian market without having to pay the high import tariffs of the time.
In the very
beginning, most of the know-how to create ceramics was imported from Sweden as
Finnish ceramic manufacturing was still in its infancy. The first products were
made of simple faience and didn’t have any décor. With time, the quality
improved and Arabia started producing dishes mimicking sets produced by
Rörstrand at the time.
The First
World War necessitated the struggling Rörstrand to sell its shares in the
factory which lead to Arabia becoming an independent Finnish company. The
following decades marked an enormous growth period which saw Arabia acquiring
several Swedish porcelain manufacturers in the process, including its original
founder Rörstrand.
In the
early 1930s, Arabia’s artistic leader at the time, Kurt Ekholm, started the now
famous art department that would make the Arabia designs world-famous over the
next couple of decades.
Some
well-renowned Finnish artists worked for Arabia in the middle of the 20th
century, including famous avantgarde arvant-gardists like Kaj Franck, Rut Bryk,
Michael Schilkin, Birger Kaipianen or Toini Muona. Later followed the artistic
genius of Oiva Toikka.
In the
middle of the 20th century, Arabia of Finland developed a new type
of stoneware that was oven-proof. Thus, the now famous Ruska series of dishes
was born and its hallmark brown color soon became almost synonymous with
Finnish stoneware as a whole.
With its
rich history and its unique approach of adding timeless artistic merit to
everyday household items, Arabia of Finland continues to be one of the flagships
of Nordic pottery tradition. A tradition that you can now easily bring into
your dining room!