Citterio 98
Broad matte handles turn everyday cutlery into a modern architectural gesture.
Iittala Citterio 98 cutlery by Antonio Citterio & Glen Oliver Löw, defined by matte-brushed stainless steel and enduring everyday function.
About the series
Citterio 98, considered for the table
The matte-brushed stainless-steel finish softens reflections and reinforces the series’ sculptural form. It gives the surface a calm, tactile character suited to both relaxed meals and more formal table settings.
Iittala approaches tableware as enduring everyday design. Rooted in Finnish design culture, the brand brings together recognised designers, clear function and forms intended to remain relevant beyond a single season.
Series guide
Questions about Citterio 98
What happens when an Italian architect designs the object beside your plate?
Citterio 98 approaches cutlery almost as architecture in miniature. Created by architect Antonio Citterio together with industrial designer Glen Oliver Löw, the collection is defined by broad, flat handles, balanced proportions and a distinctive narrowing through the waist. Rather than decorating the surface, the designers shaped the mass and silhouette of the object itself.
Why does Citterio 98 feel heavier than its restrained appearance suggests?
That contrast is central to the design. Iittala describes the pieces as solid, weighted and smooth to the touch, while their broad handles and controlled proportions keep the visual expression clean. The result is cutlery whose physical presence is discovered in the hand rather than announced through ornament.
What connects Finnish manufacturing precision with Italian design?
Citterio 98 was created for Iittala by Antonio Citterio and Glen Oliver Löw. Citterio’s studio describes the collection as bringing together Finnish manufacturing precision and Italian design sensibility. That meeting can be read directly in the pieces: technically controlled stainless steel shaped into generous, tactile forms with a distinctly architectural character.
Why is the narrowest part of the handle one of Citterio 98’s most important details?
Because the handle is not simply a flat bar of steel. It broadens where the hand meets it and tapers through the waist, creating both visual tension and a natural transition between handle and functional end. It is a small architectural gesture that gives the collection its recognisable silhouette.
How did a cutlery design from 1998 become a modern classic?
Citterio 98 was conceived as a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional flatware rather than a response to a passing decorative trend. Its identity rests on proportion, weight, touch and material. More than twenty-five years later, Iittala still describes the collection as a modern classic — equally at home at informal and formal tables.