I’m sure many of you have a pair of these scissors in your possession.
Perhaps you don’t know where they come from. They were originally made in a place called Fiskars, about one hour west of Helsinki in Finland.
Fiskars Bruk was founded as an iron works in 1649 and gave rise to the company Fiskars. In 1822 John von Julin bought the iron works and began the production facility and Finland’s first workshop in 1836. They produced utility items from scissors and knives to ploughs.
In the 1980s Fiskars began to move operations to make use of more modern facilities. Now the old factory site is a centre for Finnish art and design. 600 people live in the area and it is popular with artists, artisans and designers.
It is also popular with visitors, including us. Some Finnish friends, Helena and Lasse Kinnunen from Brisbane, have a summer studio in Fiskars. On the way home from Italy we stopped in Helsinki and drove across to Fiskars to visit them and see the beautiful village.
Their studio is set in a pretty forest. It is a perfect show room for their beautiful crafted furniture.
Helena and Lasse very kindly showed us around the village. The buildings in the village are scattered around the river which was an important transport route. The 3 rapids in the river provided power for the blast furnace, machinery workshop and electric power station. Come for a walk around lovely Fiskars.
Most of the buildings are used as studios for the artists, or shops to sell the lovely things they produce. There are also restaurants, cafes and hotels for those who would like to stay a while.
I particularly liked the blacksmith, where we found lots of things to buy for Casa Debbio. I will have to return with an empty suitacase.
I have been collecting these cute cups for a few years now and I was surprised and delighted to meet the designer, Riita Talonpoika, in a Fiskars shop. She also has a nearby studio which I would love to see.
In the Onoma shop we found lots of wonderful things.
As well as beautiful furniture Lasse makes these lovely necklaces for sale in the shop.
At the other end of the building is the Fiskars shop where there is an amazing range of Fiskars products as well as a display of the history of Fiskars.
Here I found the story of the orange scissors, and why they are orange.
In the year 1967 the first model was to be made. The designer wanted the scissors to be black or green. As the prototype went into production the machinist decided to use up the orange colour already in the machine. The result was that the prototypes were made in 4 colours, of which orange and black were the favourites.
A final decision was made after an in-house vote, and the orange Fiskars scissors were born. The colour, Fiskars Orange, was registered as an official trademark in Finland in 2004 and the U.S. in 2007. Orange scissors are found all over the world. We Fiskars product often in our travels.
Best of all there is a gallery chock full of interesting things.
Thank you Helena and Lasse for a lovely day in heavenly Fiskars…we will be back.
Might try to get there next year when I (like you) pass through. 😉
By: kayrpea61 on June 27, 2016
at 9:50 am
We always stop in Helsinki and love the city. Fiskars is an easy drive and from July there is a bus from the city to Fiskars. Get details from the information centre in Esplanadi.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2016
at 10:48 am
Thank you. Will do. So you must know Restaurant Savotta? – best reindeer I have ever tasted.
By: kayrpea61 on June 27, 2016
at 9:55 pm
Yes, I have been to Savotta. It was great. I also write a blog called Beautiful Heksinki where I have written about lots of the restaurants in Helsinki serving Finnish food.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 28, 2016
at 2:47 am
I’m on my way over to that blog. Thanks, Debra. Cheers, Ken
By: kayrpea61 on June 28, 2016
at 4:50 am
fantastic, love the image of the table with the hair bowls!
By: Jessie Martinovic on June 27, 2016
at 10:08 am
The gallery was excellent.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2016
at 10:48 am
Loved this post and never ever knew about the scissors until you told me about it once – great scissors but such a picturesque place.
By: Dianne CANT on June 27, 2016
at 10:09 am
Fiskars Village is lovely. It was a gorgeous day when we were there, that always helps.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2016
at 10:49 am
It looks and sounds like a beautiful place to visit. Lovely photos!
By: Mulino Dominillo on June 27, 2016
at 1:36 pm
The village is beautiful and the concept excellent. I wish something like this could happen in Bagni di Lucca.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2016
at 1:47 pm
I had no idea that Helsinki was a stopover for flights east. I visited Finland for the first time just last year and really enjoyed it, but will have to return and visit Fiskars – interesting and delightful!
By: karenincalabria on June 27, 2016
at 4:17 pm
We always fly Finnair and stop in Helsinki. It is only 3 hours from Italy, then about 9 hours to Hong Kong and 8 to Brisbane. I prefer it to the 12/13 hours from Rome to Hong Kong. We love our stopovers in Helsinki.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 28, 2016
at 2:07 am
What an art village to visit. I would go crazy, holding on tight to my money.
By: corneliaweberphotography on June 27, 2016
at 4:38 pm
Fiskars is wonderful. We were there about 8 years ago and saw a big difference. There are lots of small shops and the choice of products is fabulous.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 28, 2016
at 2:08 am
How fabulous to have a studio in Fiskars! It’s such a beautiful place. This summer I plan to check out Billnäs, apparently it’s similar to Fiskars – so I am looking forward to ample amounts of prettiness!
By: Suvi on June 27, 2016
at 6:40 pm
We saw the signs for that as well. Fiskars is gorgeous and being there in early summer was lovely. Last time we visited it was autumn and it was much more quiet.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 28, 2016
at 2:09 am
Oh, I love this post! I have a feeling I would love Finland as well, I have always wanted to go, and always had the instinctive feeling that I would feel at home there.
By: The Daily Cure on June 30, 2016
at 5:59 am
I feel absolutely at home in Finland. I love being there.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 30, 2016
at 6:35 am
Love the gallery pieces. Fiskars sounds like an art-land.
By: rommel on June 30, 2016
at 12:12 pm
[…] my way back to Italy in September I revisited Fiskars, a town in Finland inhabited by artists and craftspeople and previous home to those orange handled […]
By: 2016 travels | Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on December 27, 2016
at 7:56 am