Collection: Finel (Finland)

Finel is closely associated with the colourful enamelled metal cookware and tableware of post-war Finland. The name was used within Wärtsilä’s enamelware business, bringing together practical domestic forms and the graphic character of Finnish modern design. Bowls, pots, pans and coffee pots made everyday kitchen equipment an important part of the home’s visual identity.

Its design story overlaps with Arabia because both were connected with Wärtsilä, not because Arabia was a subsidiary of Finel. Designers working across this wider Finnish design network helped develop the functional shapes and distinctive surface decoration associated with Finel enamelware.

Kaj Franck contributed bowl designs, while Antti Nurmesniemi’s Pehtoori coffee pot and Heikki Orvola’s water kettle represent other approaches to useful domestic objects. Illustrators including Raija Uosikkinen and Esteri Tomula brought narrative and botanical decoration to enamelled surfaces. Patterns associated with this output include Ritari, Punahilkka, Vegeta and Neptun.

The later industrial history needs to be distinguished from the vintage design label. Temal’s account of the enamel factory records a move to Järvenpää in 1972, transfer to Hackman in 1981–82 and the formation of Temal in 1994. This enamel-manufacturing lineage should not be confused with the separate later ownership history of the Arabia and Iittala brands.

Original Finel pieces remain distinctive examples of the meeting between industrial production, useful form and expressive illustration in mid-century Finnish design.

Read more about the enamel factory’s history from Temal here.