It's no secret that we're fans of Nordic design, and, as last week's festival in Helsinki proved, that's for good reason. Inspiring near-total levels of participation citywide, the exhibitions offered a bounty of high-caliber projects, not to mention access to renowned Finnish studios and manufacturers like Woodnotes and Artek. The designs themselves were a mix of the traditional and the more-or-less experimental, often featuring both those instincts in tandem. (Take Fireplace by Ilkka Suppanen, pictured here, a sculptural piece which is fueled by ethanol and composed of tempered glass.) The upshot? No reinventing the wheel here, but plenty that was working toward perfecting it.

Click here for a few of our favorites >