Kaija Aarikka was always in tune with the times—the Finnish designer’s career began with wooden buttons

Kaija Aarikka's (1929–2014) style always matched the spirit of the times. Her 1950s work was streamlined and elegant, and the 1960s brought along bold colors and new materials. In the 1970s, her style was down-to-earth; then, in the 1980s boom, it turned flashier.

Everything began with wooden buttons. Kaija Aarikka studied textile art at Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu (the Central School of Art and Design). The curriculum included weaving fabrics for clothing. When Kaija couldn’t find suitable buttons for her outfits in stores, she made them herself.

These striking hardwood buttons appealed to others as well, so Kaija Aarikka founded a company bearing her name in 1954, while still in school. Soon, she began making wooden jewelry as well.

Aarikka’s business partner was her husband, Erkki Ruokonen, who had studied metal art at the Ateneum evening school. His wife began developing a method for dyeing wood. Eventually, the dyeing experiments carried out in their kitchen succeeded, and dyed wood became the company’s central business concept. By the 1960s, the company was internationally known.

Aarikka’s first shop, a small one established in 1961, specialized in buttons. But in the second shop, opened in 1963 on Bulevardi in Helsinki, the range already included textile products.

In the early days, Aarikka had its own weaving workshop. They made pincushions, oven mitts, and potholders from the fabrics. Their colorful, fuzzy woolen blankets were woven in their in-house workshop above the store.

Wooden candleholders were Aarikka’s hit products in the 1960s and 1970s. Over a million pieces were sold of the most popular models. Tin canisters were added to the lineup in the late 1960s.

Kaija Aarikka had a long career as a designer from the 1950s through the 2000s. She used materials such as glass, brass, silver, plastic, and textiles. Her works ranged from ties to toys and from jewelry to room dividers.

Aarikka’s career took place during a period when the standard of living in Finland was on the rise, which meant people had more money to spend on home decorating and gifts. Aarikka offered distinctive options made from domestic raw materials.

Today, Aarikka is owned by Martinex, a family-run company from Raisio, Finland, which purchased the firm’s share capital from Kaija Aarikka’s daughters. Pauliina Aarikka continues to work for the company as a product designer.

Sources: Anna-Kaisa Huusko’s article Tuntematon mestari in the Finnish magazine Avotakka 2/2014, and Beloved Patterns magazine 2/2024.