design42day

Product category 01: Living rooms and bedrooms
Kaasa
Fireplace
Manufacturer: Iittala Group Oy Ab, Finland
Design: Iittala Group Oy Ab, Finland

A modern fireplace inspired by an ancient beacon
The Kaasa collection is composed of lanterns in two sizes and three colours (clear, red, grey). The lantern is like a mobile fireplace for living rooms and other spaces. The flame is housed on a steel base, which is surrounded by a heat-resistant protective glass layer, which is in turn surrounded by an outer layer of mouth-blown glass. The Kaasa runs on ethanol.
The Kaasa was crucial to sailors of the Bothnian Bay in Finland. Reminiscent of bonfires, these stone or wooden structures guided mariners in the right direction, or to good fishing grounds. In perilous times, a fire was lit on the kaasa to warn of the enemy’s approach. Iittala’s ambient lights have been developed in a context of Finland’s dramatic seasonal changes and Scandinavian light. Dark winters have presented designers with the challenge of increasing light and ambience in the home. Suppanen comments: “Design is more about values than forms and colours. My aim was an archetypical, iconic gathering point. Rather like a large candle, I wanted this product to bring people together around light and warmth”.