Maija Louekari

Some of my favorite Marimekko designs are by Finnish illustrator and designer, Maija Louekari. I’m drawn to the movement captured in her black and white illustration (Hetkia) and the simple beauty of a birch tree that stands out from a background of light blues and lime greens (Kaiku). I just love these and do not dare use my Kaiku tea towel, well, as a towel! It’s art.






My dad, an avid collector of all things train related, left our family with a basement full of his train treasures (r.i.p. 1939-2007). Digging through dusty boxes of stuff, I came across a ceramic mug with a really nice black and white illustration of a South Shore train. It reminded me of Maija Louekari “Hetkia” and I was pretty happy to find this packed away on a shelf. I have no idea how old it is although I would guess it’s from the 1970s. I grew up riding the South Shore train to Chicago and when I moved back to Indiana 5 years ago, I became a daily commuter taking it to and from work. Now that I work from home, this little mug is a nice reminder of my dad and our many train rides.