BASTUA: Favorites from the Marimekko/IKEA collaboration

BASTUA, a collection released this month at IKEA, is a collaboration between IKEA and Finnish design house Marimekko. I assume IKEA needs no introduction; if you’re unfamiliar with Marimekko, I go into a little more detail on them below.

Marimekko’s website describes the IKEA x Marimekko collection as “A collaboration on Nordic wellness and joy”. It is centered around Finnish sauna culture, self care in the true sense of the term: an activity that promotes your best interest. Saunas positively impact both your physical and mental well-being, and they are deeply ingrained in day to day life in Finland. If you’re unfamiliar with the Finnish sauna, read more here.

Marimekko

Marimekko is a Finnish design house founded in 1951. They’re known for their bright patterns, prints, and colors. Possibly their most famous print is “Unikko”, a poppy print created by one of Marimekko’s designers in the 1960s.

I would personally classify Marimekko’s clothing as high-end. For example, this cute jersey maxi dress retails on their website for about $250, and is nowhere near their most expensive item.

For this reason, I really appreciate how often Marimekko collaborates with other brands to create collections which will be accessible to those of us whose budgets do not stretch to accommodate their usual price points! In addition to this collaboration with IKEA, Marimekko has previously collaborated on collections with Target and Adidas.

BASTUA

BASTUA is a small, limited-edition collection focused around self care and Finnish sauna culture. In true Marimekko fashion, many of the items feature bold colors and splashy patterns. The collection features many nods to Marimekko’s Finnish roots. Shop the collection here.

This side table is one of several items from the BASTUA collection that features birch wood. Birch is native to Finland and frequently used in Finnish & Scandinavian design. The BASTUA collection also includes a tray that sits perfectly on top of this table.

Here the same side table is featured, this time fitted with the rhubarb print tray from BASTUA. The rhubarb print is another nod to Finland, as the plant grows abundantly there. The glassware on this table is also from the BASTUA collection. The crinkled glass is meant to evoke sunshine on a lake in the summertime.

The whole collection evokes the chill beauty of a Finnish summer afternoon. It brings back memories of my trips to Finland, of evenings spent with a sauna, a swim in the lake, followed by sitting around a fire. Though it’s centered around Nordic sauna culture, the majority of the collection is equally useful to those of us, myself included, who don’t have a sauna at home. These sauna towels, for example, would be just as beautiful on any beach.

This bucket and ladle, on the other hand, is very specific to the sauna. The ladle is used to throw water on the rocks to create steam. I’ve also sipped water out of sauna ladles on many occasions when the sauna got too hot for me. The BASTUA collection solves this problem as well with their darling water bottles:

What was your reaction to this collaboration? How would you incorporate these pieces? Let me know in the comments!