Artek celebrates 90 years – together with the Moomins
A classic by Alvar Aalto, Cabinet 250 returns to Artek’s collection after years of absence. Once known as the “cocktail cabinet,” it serves just as well for a variety of purposes.
ARTEK CELEBRATES its 90th anniversary in 2025. The festivities begin with the launch of a furniture collection featuring Tove Jansson’s beloved Moomin characters. At the same time, it has been 80 years since the publication of Jansson’s first Moomin story, The Moomins and the Great Flood – giving us twice the reason to celebrate!
Early Tove Jansson illustrations are laser-engraved onto the seat and legs of the stool 60. These pieces are sure to become future collector’s treasures.
The elegant cabinet features a birch-veneered frame and solid birch legs, stained in a warm honey tone. Open Cabinet 250, and unexpected guests appear – Tove Jansson’s nostalgic, hand-drawn Moomin characters adorn its interior.
Playful and full of charm, the illustrations evoke the secret scribbles hidden beneath old school desks.
The Artek + Moomin collection features Stool 60 and Cabinet 250, adorned with Tove Jansson’s early illustrations: timeless drawings that resonate across generations. Sourced from Jansson’s early Moomin stories, these nostalgic hand-drawn lines reflect her delicate yet humorous artistic touch. Throughout her life, Jansson had a habit of sketching spontaneously, filling not only her notebooks but also her letters to family members with playful drawings.
The illustrations combine drawings with handwritten texts, sourced from Tove Jansson’s earliest notebooks and Moomin stories.
Jansson’s whimsical yet sophisticated illustrations and texts are laser-engraved onto the seat and legs of the stool, as well as inside the cabinet. The Artek + Moomin collection embodies Finnish hospitality, which is at its best when it’s spontaneous and informal. These pieces welcome the unexpected guest to the celebration, raising a toast to shared values of belonging and togetherness.
The Cabinet 250 Celebration from the Artek + Moomin collection is produced in a carefully limited and numbered edition of just 90 pieces.
The Stool 60 Celebration is stained in a warm honey tone, reminiscent of the rich patina found on vintage stools.
With its versatility, the stool ensures there’s always an extra seat at the table – ready to welcome an unexpected guest.
IN 1935, young idealists Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen, and Nils-Gustav Hahl founded Artek in Helsinki. Their vision was to create a new kind of furniture company – one that would improve everyday living, introduce modern art and design to Finland, and showcase the best of Finland to the world.
Ninety years later, Artek celebrates its legacy with special collections and events that honor the founding ideals, which remain as relevant as ever.
“At the very core of Artek stands our founders’ vision of bringing their idea of a modern culture of living to the world,” says Marianne Goebl, Managing Director of Artek. “For our 90th anniversary, we have chosen to team up with independently minded Finnish voices, who share a common commitment with Aino and Alvar Aalto: improving everyday life through beauty and functionality.”
Artek’s founders (clockwise from top): Alvar Aalto, Maire Gullichsen, Nils-Gustav Hahl, and Aino Aalto.
The Artek + Moomin collection will be available starting March 20, 2025, including at Finnish Design Shop. The Cabinet 250 Celebration will be released in a small, limited batch, while the Stool 60 Celebration will remain available until the end of 2025.
The Artek + Moomin collection is the first launch of the anniversary year, accompanied by the Artek 90 jubilee poster designed by Finnish artist Inka Bell. And there’s more to come: in the second half of the year, Artek joins forces with Marimekko to unveil a captivating limited-edition collection that brings together the art of textile printing and wood bending. And the best part? Later in fall 2025, Artek will reintroduce a selection of beloved and long-awaited treasures from its archives!
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Edit: Design Stories Images: Mikael Niemi and Artek
Published on 20 Mar, 2025
