Aino Maria Marsio-Aalto (1894–1949). One of the founding figures of modern Finnish design, Aino Aalto combined architecture, interior design and everyday objects into a timeless vision of functional living. Trained as an architect, she worked alongside Alvar Aalto throughout her career while establishing her own distinctive creative identity, becoming a co-founder and the first artistic director of Artek in 1935. Aino believed that beautifully designed objects should be accessible, practical and seamlessly integrated into daily life. This philosophy found its purest expression in her Bölgeblick glassware series, introduced for Karhula-Iittala in 1932. Inspired by the gentle ripples formed when a stone touches water, its stackable pressed-glass design embodied the ideals of functionalism and received the Gold Medal at the 1936 Milan Triennale. Still in production today as the Aino Aalto Collection, it stands among the longest-running glassware designs in the world. Through her architecture, interiors, furniture and glass, Aino Aalto helped define the understated elegance and human-centred philosophy that became hallmarks of Finnish and Nordic design, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire generations of designers and collectors.