An old outline with a new surface.

Published 21 October 2026 · WHV · Public-source editorial note

You can recognise an Aalto vase from above, before seeing what it contains. Its wandering outline offers an alternative to the circular symmetry of many vessels. For the design’s ninetieth anniversary in 2026, Iittala introduced a Bubble version that keeps the contour while changing the experience of the glass itself.

Continuity is not repetition

The maker describes a traditional soda technique that forms bubbles between layers of glass. Each vase is mouth-blown at Iittala, so the small variations are part of how the object is made rather than a digitally repeated surface graphic. In the clear version, the effect depends on light, background and the angle from which you look.

This is a useful distinction in an anniversary product. The date alone would not justify attention. Here, a material technique gives an established form another expression while keeping it available as a vessel for flowers or branches. The Bubble range should not be confused with the separate, numbered City Vase collection announced in the same anniversary programme.

Look through the glass

See the actual piece if possible, rather than choosing solely from a catalogue image. Compare proportions, the rim and the distribution of bubbles, and check the size against where you want to use it. Follow Iittala’s hand-washing guidance. The WHV value lies in living with an intelligible piece of glassmaking, not in treating every handmade variation as proof of rarity or every anniversary mark as a promise of appreciation.

Source and context.

Iittala: the Aalto 160 mm Bubble Vase and soda technique ↗

Fiskars Japan: the 2026 Aalto 90 collection ↗

Bubble and City Vase are separate 2026 collections. Handmade variation is not a valuation, and no investment return or limited production count is claimed for the Bubble Vase.

Source checked 21 October 2026. WHV interpretation is distinct from the source’s account.