16" x 10" x 10"
Birch Handle, Pine Body
FINLAND

I have to say when I saw this basket I liked it but was hesitant. After all, on the East Coast of America, what does one use baskets for anymore? In France, Finland too, they use them in the markets. In Finland they use them for mushroom picking, berry picking, wood storage, glove storage, etc etc. Even when my friend Klaus pointed it out to me as the most basic Finnish item he could think of, I was still unsure. He said they always use it in the forest. But do Americans care about the forest I wondered? I mean, when my grandmother was a girl in the 20's her family went mushroom and berry picking in Pennsylvania but why bother now when any old grocery store will do? I guess in my context this basket speaks to me for more than practical applications. It's just a beautiful thing to make my life better. The deal was really tied up when I saw an aged version at Alvar Aalto's country house, sometimes beauty really is enough, sometimes it's OK to say, hey I just like it or hey maybe I'll try to find a forest and I'll go pick some berries, after all the forests are still there waiting. Handmade.