Q&A: The Spirit of Alvar Aalto Lives, in Designs Meant to Save Lives and the Earth

Senior execs at Artek talk about sustainability, ideology, and the deeply held similarities between Finns and Japanese. And they reveal a hush-hush lamp that combats seasonal depression.

Artek, the legendary furniture firm co-founded by Alvar Aalto, is finally landing on American shores: The company has opened its first-ever American showroom, and, rather than relying on distributors, they've invested in an American sales force.

At this year's ICFF, FastCompany.com spoke with Artek's newly...