Growing up in Finland, I didn’t realise how much Aalto had shaped the places around me until I left home. Alvar and Aino’s work was never introduced to me as something extraordinary. It simply existed. Libraries filled with soft daylight. Wooden handrails worn smooth by thousands of hands. Stools that had quietly outlived generations of furniture trends. Even the iconic Savoy vase often held wildflowers rather than sitting behind museum glass. Living in Denmark, I found myself drawn to many of the same qualities. Scandinavian design rarely tries to be the loudest object in the room. Instead, it does something much more difficult: it makes people feel comfortable. I don’t…