This year, Finland is celebrating its centenary. A wonderful excuse for an architectural trip, as Finland is surely the only country that reveres an architect as a national hero.

Alvar Aalto. You come across his work in almost every commemorative exhibition in Helsinki. The city itself is brimming with his buildings. But Aalto (1898–1976) and his first wife, Aino (1894–1949), are just as popular with the Finns for their furniture designs. They can be found in almost every home, because despite their international fame, the manufacturer Artek still produces them primarily for the domestic market.