Household wares designed by Ulla Procope, Finland

Ulla Procopé (1921-1968) was a Finnish ceramic designer and

decorator. She is considered one of the most important designers of the Golden

Age of Finnish Design. Her work is characterized by its simple, functional

forms and bold, colorful designs. She was born in Helsinki, Finland, in 1921

and studied ceramics at the Central School of Arts and Crafts (now the Aalto

School of Arts) and graduated in 1948. Immediately after graduating, she joined

the Arabia ceramics factory, where she worked for the rest of her career.

Procopé designed a wide range of products for Arabia,

including tableware, kitchenware, and decorative objects. Some of her most

famous designs include the Liekki oven bowl collection, the ND tableware

service with the hand-painted Valencia motif, and the S service with Ruska

decoration, which was the first mass-produced utility ware in Finland to use a

matte glaze.

Procopé's designs more... were influenced by her love of nature and

her travels to Southern Europe. She was also inspired by the work of other

Finnish designers of the time, such as Kaj Franck and Tapio Wirkkala. Procopé's

work was highly successful and was widely exported. She received numerous

awards for her designs, including the Grand Prix at the Milan Triennale in 1954

and the Lunning Prize in 1962.

In addition to her work for Arabia, Procopé also designed

for other Finnish companies, such as Riihimäki Glass and Wärtsilä. She also

taught ceramics at the Central School of Arts and Crafts.

Procopé's work is represented in major museum collections

around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the

Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Design Museum in Helsinki.

Procopé died tragically in a car accident in Tenerife,

Spain, in 1968, at the age of 47. She left behind a legacy of timeless and

iconic designs that continue to be popular today.