Intricate patterns, vivid colours and age-old techniques meet in Finarte’s latest collection of beautifully handcrafted rugs and cushions
Photography courtesy of Finarte featuring Tobevi
If there is one thing Finnish design does exceptionally well, it is making a virtue of the handmade. At this year’s Helsinki Design Week and Habitare, design company Finarte puts that idea front and centre with a new collection of handwoven rugs, created in collaboration with emerging Finnish designers including Minni Havas and Saana ja Olli.
Founded in 1985, Finarte has long championed Finland’s rich textile traditions, pairing contemporary design with techniques passed down through generations. Its rugs are handmade using natural and recycled materials, from handwoven wool dhurries to the brand’s signature rag rugs, giving traditional craft a contemporary twist.
At the heart of the story is Finarte co-founder and textile artist Eija Rasinmäki, who has been rethinking the humble Finnish rag rug since the 1970s. Made from strips of recycled fabric, rag rugs were traditionally woven in homes and community workshops. Rasinmäki helped bring the form into modern interiors, eventually co-founding Finarte in 1985, and continues to design today.
Photography courtesy of Finarte featuring Merihaka
That legacy runs through the new collection, which launched in Helsinki this September. Among the highlights are Kerros and Merihaka by Minni Havas, handwoven wool rugs inspired by Helsinki’s Merihaka and its Brutalist architecture, translating the neighbourhood’s coloured stripes found on window frames and balconies into a bold graphic composition. Saana ja Olli bring their own pared-back aesthetic to a series of rugs made from 100 per cent upcycled cotton.
The appeal goes beyond the finished pieces. Finarte has worked with the same Indian weavers and workshops for more than 40 years, creating long-standing relationships that have helped preserve specialist weaving skills across generations. Rasinmäki still travels to India to share traditional Finnish weaving techniques with the artisans she has worked alongside for decades.
It is this balance of old and new that gives Finarte’s latest collection its appeal. Bold, contemporary designs sit alongside techniques rooted in Finnish textile heritage, while the use of recycled materials and decades-long relationships with its Indian weavers give each piece a story that extends beyond the loom. The result is a collection that feels rooted in tradition while remaining entirely at home in a modern interior.
Get a curated collection of design and architecture news in your inbox by signing up to our ICON Weekly newsletter
