SAARA HOPEA｜1925–1984｜FINLAND
Saara Hopea studied interior design at the Central School of Applied Arts in Helsinki.
After graduating, she began her career as a furniture designer and later worked as a draughtswoman under Paavo Tynell at Taito Oy.
In 1951, at the invitation of Kaj Franck, she remained employed by Taito while working as a freelance interior designer.
During this period she designed furniture and interior spaces for the galleries and showrooms of Wärtsilä, the parent company of Arabia and Nuutajärvi.
Her outstanding work soon gained recognition, and in 1952 she joined Nuutajärvi as a designer.
Sharing with Kaj Franck the idea of designing essential objects for post-war life, Hopea created numerous products and art pieces.
Her activities extended beyond glass to include packaging, logos, exhibition design and enamel products for Arabia.
In 1959 she left Nuutajärvi to take over the family business, but despite her relatively short seven-year period at the glassworks, her achievements as a glass designer are highly regarded.
From 1959 she designed jewelry at her family’s goldsmith workshop, Ossian Hopea.
After her marriage in 1960, she moved to New York with her husband and also worked on enamel design.
From 1963 she lived in Nepal and India, where she worked on textile design and other creative projects.
She returned to Finland in 1967 and continued designing jewelry at the workshop until 1982.
Hopea was an exceptional designer who demonstrated remarkable talent across many different fields.
She received the Silver Medal at the Milan Triennale in 1954 and again in 1957.
