source: designboom

marimekko is known for its rich and bold patterns that reference the brand’s finnish origins, and this is continued in the company’s autumn 2013 collection ‘weather diary’. presented at habitare 2013, the series of textiles, tablewares, kitchen accessories, posters and a diary depict changes in forecast, and their influence on people’s rhythm of life. the palette of prints are painted by finnish artist aino-maijo mestola and embody a range of seasonal meteorological conditions — from the rolling in of heavy rain clouds on jussarö (an island in southern finland), the gentle drizzle on the harmaja (an island outside helsinki), to the cool winds on the kuuskajaskari (an island in southwest finland).

of the designs, aino-maija mestola states:
‘I live on an island and I love how the weather often feels much more powerful and interesting by the sea. therefore this scenery has an important role in the weather diary collection. I wanted to design the prints so that each one represents a different kind of atmosphere, but when the pieces are combined they form an interesting whole.‘ accompanying the fabrics is ‘oiva’ tableware developed by marimekko’s in-house designer sami ruotsalainen. the dishes match the design language of the ‘weather diary’ motifs and feature drawings of tree trunks bent by sea storms, dry grass and yellow autumnal meadows, along with wet cliffs and fogy mornings in the archipelago.

‘collaborating with aino-maija was amazing. I love the atmosphere of the collection and how the prints bring out the beauty in rainy and cloudy days. the weather diary patterns really complement the forms of the oiva dishes and make them stand out, integrating the white areas in the background into the pattern as well,’ says sami ruotsalainen. the release of the ‘konkkaronkka’ cutlery completes the opus. translated to ‘a merry bunch’ or ‘caboodle’, ‘konkkaronkka designed by mari isopahkala is a set of knives forks and spoons which all have striped details on their handles, and distinct shapes which reflect a playful, easy-going attitude.
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source: jackiemagpie

Aino-Maija Metsola’s work is overflowing with colours and shapes so inviting that I wish it would pour out the taps when I run a bath, and I could dive in and have a daydream about magical places where people play handmade harps in the forest…. Here Aino-Maija tells us about designing for Marimekko, jogging in Helsinki and her thoughts on talent versus passion. I’m an illustrator and print designer based in Helsinki, Finland. Currently I work as an invited in-house designer at Marimekko but I have designed prints for Marimekko’s clothes and interior textiles as a freelance designer since 2006. I studied graphic design and ended up designing prints almost by accident. I took part in a design competition organized by Marimekko in 2005. The company liked my print Mökki that I sent in and took it in their interior collection. I realised that designing for Marimekko was something I really liked and wanted to concentrate on that together with illustration.
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source: finnishdesignshop

Aino-Maija Metsola (born 1983) is an Helsinki-based illustrator and designer. For Marimekko she has designed prints for fabrics, duvet covers, clothes, pillows, etc.

One of her most popular designs for Marimekko is Kesätori. Kesätori, the Finnish word for summer market, is a colourful pattern designed in 2010.