Issey Miyake and Iittala Bring Harmony to Dinner
The Japanese designer collaborates with the Finnish store to create highly distinctive home ware.
Issey Miyake, the Japanese fashion designer famous for his luxuriant pleats, has teamed up with the famous Finnish design store Iittala on a homeware collection entitled “Pause for Harmony”. Miyake and Iittala view homes as integral to the many activities of our daily lives, such as relaxing, working, socializing, and shopping and their collection honors this. Of course, the home is where we live so it is somewhat important, in our opinion. If you only see it briefly before hitting the sack, perhaps this collection can motivate you to spend a little quality time there. The overarching design of the textiles and tableware exudes a sense of calm with its muted minimalism on display in mainly whites, blacks, grays, greens and pastel pinks. 
The collection is built on the idea of “harmony to everyday life”, and to celebrate “the rituals of domestic life by setting a gentle mood with its colors and delicate shapes”. Plates and platters come in sleek pentagons with rounded edges while handle-less cups call to mind the simplicity of Japanese teacups with a modern twist. The tea light candleholder is shaped in the same fashion but comes only in white while a single flower vase tops off the tableware set.
Miyake’s signature pleating in textiles is evident with the collection’s placemats and cushions. Yet the effect we usually see on the runway is not reproduced wholesale. The effect created is more akin to flowing water or soft rains, with its vertical rundowns. Others, like the Tote bags, come with chevron-like designs. Napkins and Table-Flowers add an elegant touch to the set. Also included is a 2-meter long roll of pleated fabric that can be used as a table runner, a curtain, or a throw for a chair or sofa.
Iittala was founded in 1881, and started off as a blown-glass factory. Its most famous piece is the Savoy Vase, created by Alvar Aalto in 1936. Miyake formed his label in 1970, expanding to menswear, womens-wear, ready-to-wear collections, and an accessory line.
To view the “Pause for Harmony” collection, click here.
