ARTEK AND HEATH CERAMICS UNVEIL NEW TILE TABLES COLLECTION IN SPRING 2026

Artek and Heath Ceramics bring their long-standing collaboration to a global audience in 2026, with a new series of Tile Tables that combine Alvar Aalto’s iconic wood bending with Edith Heath’s inimitable ceramics. Each tiled tabletop is finished in a tonal range of reds, greens, or whites, drawing upon Heath’s deep material knowledge and long history of glaze experimentation. As with past collections, unique keystone tiles highlight the handmade nature of the collection.

The continued partnership speaks to the shared values that run through Artek and Heath Ceramics: beauty, utility, integrity, and longevity.

“As kindred spirits, the Artek and Heath teams have once again come together to combine our respective crafts. Designed as a system, the Tile Table collection encourages play and experimentation with colour and texture. The results are, we believe, delightful functional companions for the home,” says Marianne Goebl, Managing Director of Artek.

Both Artek and Heath continue to create their products according to original techniques. Aalto furniture is still made in Finland from local birchwood, while Heath hand-crafts all of its ceramic dinnerware and tile in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Artek + Heath 2026 Collection

The new collection is presented in a trio of signature colourways. Returning are Green+ and White+, both of which sold out in days upon the release of the 2022 collection. This year, they are joined by the striking new Red+, a terracotta-toned colourway inspired by California’s rugged landscapes that celebrates the humble materiality of clay while introducing vibrant new energy to the collection.

“What keeps us coming back to this collaboration with Artek is a shared reverence for natural materials—clay, glaze, and wood—and how they respond to use over time,” says Heath Clay Studio Director Tung Chiang. “It’s both a creative exchange and a close friendship, rooted in the mutual love for thoughtful making and inspired by our respective environments: the deserts, mountains, and coasts of California and the lush forests and stark arctic wilderness of Finland.”

The tiles for each tabletop are hand-selected and arranged to showcase the natural glaze variation that defines Heath tile, creating a beautiful interplay of colour and texture. A dual-glaze circular keystone tile serves as a “maker’s mark” which is placed differently on each table, further highlighting the craftsmanship and individuality of each piece and adding a point of visual interest and distinction.

Perhaps the most eye-catching element of the collection is the Artek + Heath Chess Table. A nod to the Max Ernst chess table at Villa Mairea, one of Aino and Alvar Aalto’s crowning architectural achievements, the spark of creative inspiration came from a playful observation of the tiled checkerboard pattern on the tabletop. This simple motif became the inspiration for this project; turning the table into a functional chessboard complimented by a set of hand-thrown, hand-glazed ceramic chess pieces. True to the shared design ethos that links Heath and Artek, each piece serves a second function: small openings at the top allow them to be used as soliflore vases in between matches.

This limited series embodies a refined balance of expert craftsmanship, material knowledge, and creative experimentation. Just six chess sets have been made, making them sought-after collector’s pieces.
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Product Details

Artek + Heath Chess Table

Artek + Heath Tile Table (Square)

Artek + Heath Tile Table (Rectangular)

Artek + Heath Tile Tables and Chess Tables will be available to buy from 17 March in Europe and 22 April in Asia and North America. ​
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​The products will be sold at Artek Helsinki, Artek Tokyo and the Heath stores in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The collection will also be available in North America via Heath’s online store, and in Japan and, for the first time, throughout Europe via Artek online stores.

All products are limited in quantity and remain available as long as stocks last.

About Heath Ceramics

Founded in California in 1948, Heath Ceramics has been designing, making, and selling timeless dinnerware and tile with a continuous commitment to quality, craft, and local manufacturing. All of Heath’s products are made by hand in the San Francisco Bay Area, using the same processes and techniques that founders Edith and Brian Heath established at the outset. The company is now run by husband-and-wife team Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey, ​ who lead the business with a vision of ecological stewardship, social equity, and thriving creativity. Their home goods are designed to be timeless and durable, so that they can become part of a collection that lasts.

About Artek

Artek was founded in 1935 in Helsinki, Finland, by four young idealists: Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen, and Nils-Gustav Hahl. Believing in the grand synthesis of art and technology, as the name suggests, their intention for Artek was “to sell furniture and promote a modern culture of living, by exhibitions and other educational means.” In keeping with the radical spirit of its founders, the company today remains an innovative player in the world of design, developing classic pieces, in the spirit of a human modernism, for everyday life. Manufactured just outside of Turku, Finland, Artek furniture gains value and beauty through use, and is often passed on from one generation to the next.

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