I first learned of himmeli — traditional geometric mobiles usually made from straw — when Jeana Sohn profiled Los Angeles designer Momo Suzuki. The idea of spending a couple of hours after dinner like Momo, threading lengths of straw to create geometric forms, was very appealing. Unable to source suitable straw, I started making himmeli using plastic cocktail straws and coffee stirrers, and as expected found it a highly addictive pastime. I taught my friends’ children. I gave them away as gifts. For a while there, if you were taller than 5’5”, it was impossible to get into my house without first getting tangled up in an himmeli.
In Finland, himmeli have been made for centuries, though folklorists are unclear when the tradition began; the word himmeli is believed to derive from the German word for heaven, himmel, which in turn derives from the Old Norse word himinn, variously translated as heaven or sky. Himmeli were traditionally hung over the table during the harvest festival to ensure a good harvest the following year – the more elaborate the himmeli, the more abundant the next year’s crop. The most beautiful himmeli were stored hanging from the rafters in Finnish attics from one Christmas to the next.
Traditionally, himmeli are made from specially selected and prepared straw in an octahedron, an eight-sided polyhedron. The straws must be straight, clean and unblemished; this requires advance planning and preparation work well before the Christmas season to ensure beautiful and structurally sound mobiles. These requirements speak also to concerns beyond mere beauty or durability – the requirements sound very much like those for any offering to the gods, such as first fruits, grain offerings, and sacrificial lambs – the offering must be perfect. That himmeli are still made in Finland (and similar mobiles known as pajaki in Poland) is testament to the remnants of old agrarian traditions that have become incorporated into the more modern celebration of Christmas that has largely superseded older harvest/midwinter festivals.
Their continuance is also testament to an aesthetic that appeals to modern makers and consumers. A number of skilled makers sell beautifully proportioned himmeli on Etsy, most notably, Melissa Hruska of HRUSKAA and Megin Sherry of me and she by megin sherry, who both make mobiles constructed from lengths of cut brass and plastic. Melissa writes, “Although their tradition is to be displayed during the holidays, I find their modern aesthetic to be the perfect minimalist décor year round.”
Megin, who grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in an area rich with German/Pennsylvania Dutch folk art traditions, sees many connections between the clean lines of modernist, geometric forms and traditional craft forms: “I think there’s a huge overlap between the clean lines of modernist design and the essentialized patterns and designs of those folk communities – Moravian stars, bold geometric quilts, barn hex signs. [As a child] I used to take popsicle sticks and glue them together or I would use toothpicks and marshmallows to make himmeli-esque designs.”
Himmeli, with their minimalist, geometric forms, suit modern interiors. They are simple and satisfying to make. Divorced from their agrarian past, they have become decorative objects whose shapes, movements and shadows delight the senses. Once an offering, himmeli are now ornaments. In the absence of gods to appease, we please ourselves.
67 comments
Ildiko from DoubleFoxStudio said 4 years ago
Great article ! We are so in love with himmelis !
Megan from MegansMenagerie said 4 years ago
Love this :)
Ann Cosgrove from acbcDesign said 4 years ago
Gorgeous pieces - love!
Elizabeth from AtolyeMetiista said 4 years ago
Very cool! I have seen some himmelis before, but never knew that it was such a popular and varied art form. The last photo with the air plant is such an interesting idea! I might have to try this out, myself! Thanks for sharing.
Priscilla from Gardenmis said 4 years ago
Such a fascinating and beautiful decoration! Thank you for sharing a bit of their history! :)
Jess Greenleaf from GREENLEAFblueberry said 4 years ago
I remember, when I was a little girl, my mom was all excited to do a himmeli project with blue straws. She said we were going to build a great star. Looking at the pile of straws and string, I remember feeling squirmy and dubious. But we did build the star, and it hung from our ceiling for years. It's complexity was bewildering even after I had seen it come together. I love the idea that projects like these are traditions.
Dawanna Young from peacesofindigo said 4 years ago
What a neat article. I could absolutely appreciate one of these himmeli in my home year round.
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 4 years ago
Wonderful art form! Great article!
seasidecloth from seasidecloth said 4 years ago
I love this design form.
Suzi from ThePillowStudioShop said 4 years ago
I love how delicate yet angular these are- what a balance!
Theme Fragrance from themefragrance said 4 years ago
Beauty in simplicity.
FeltWoolSlippers S from FeltWoolSlippers said 4 years ago
I so so love this designs. Beautiful ! Congrats!
Susann Weinberg from SavonsFrais said 4 years ago
Love the Moravian Star. I grew up 50 miles N of Philadelphia in Bethlehem, PA, which was settled by Moravians in 1721.
Maureen Stalma from silentmeditations said 4 years ago
So beautiful :)
Zoui from XZOUIX said 4 years ago
♥ LUVV THIS SHOP. Amen.
Allison from OneWorldTwoHands said 4 years ago
Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for introducing me to a previously unknown art form!!
Erin O'Rourke from Aruguletta said 4 years ago
Thanks for this history. I've really only seen them on etsy and had some idea that they were Scandinavian, but never thought they came from such an old tradition. They're very attractive & appealing designs to look at.
fiona zakka from fionazakka said 4 years ago
gorgeous pieces of geometric art that is what I would call them. or maybe its our instinctive return to our roots? Whatever it is its fabulous to look at. Thank you for writing this article it is always so much fun to learn about new things.
Amy from fieldtrip said 4 years ago
these are stunning pieces. thanks for sharing this fascinating history with us. i'm finding myself increasingly entranced by geometric forms these days!
messinabella from BandBEstate said 4 years ago
beautiful!
Mike Ibarra from Sterlingsilverrings said 4 years ago
Just wonderful!
Craig Sowards from CustomWoodturnings said 4 years ago
Awesome pieces!
Ele from minouette said 4 years ago
I enjoyed this article. Thanks for the context and history of these pieces.
Marisa M. from sukoshishop said 4 years ago
Great article! I learned a lot today :)
Susan from DesignsbyMSusan said 4 years ago
What beautiful light and airy pieces. I love learning about art forms like this from different countries. Please keep them coming!
Cristy Ramos from ArtisanBathandBody said 4 years ago
Amazing Art!
Aga from AgasJourney said 4 years ago
Beautiful, delicate, stylish and airy forms.
PaperAltar from PaperAltar said 4 years ago
Stunning work - congrats !!
Chris from HarmonyBalls said 4 years ago
great feature..beautiful..
LivingVintage from LivingVintage said 4 years ago
Nice. Congrats.
Jenna Pavlotzky from JrpArt said 4 years ago
I love this!
fancy4u from BrushAndFeather said 4 years ago
wow! these designs are beautiful.
Michelle from twobloomsds said 4 years ago
So intricate and detailed. Congrats on being featured.
Fields Of Vintage from FieldsOfVintage said 4 years ago
Very delicate geometric shapes, lovely.
Katrina Dzerkale from Dominna said 4 years ago
My mom used to make these and put over my bed.
Caroline Barbosa from OldSoulVintageLtd said 4 years ago
It's probably a great idea to make these for abundant crops this season! :)
Lucy from LucyLovesPaper said 4 years ago
This is awesome! So delicate and beautiful.
glitterandstones from glitterandstones said 4 years ago
Beautiful and very delicate. Thank you for sharing:)
Catherine Maria Charalambous from BouncyTree said 4 years ago
WOW, so beautiful. Must take so long to plan out and make. Well done on the feature. Learning something new every day
Patrick from EdelweissPost said 4 years ago
“Inspiration is needed in geometry, just as much as in poetry.” ~Alexander Pushkin
Carrie Stephens from FishScraps said 4 years ago
These are so great! Thanks for sharing!
njejo said 4 years ago
oh my god, I want all of these!
Sarah Sides from SarahSidesMadeIt said 4 years ago
The mind craves symmetry, and this is a perfect example of those appealing symmetrical shapes.
primlark from primlark said 4 years ago
great article, love these!
Wood Iphone Cases from WoodiPhoneCases said 4 years ago
These are amazing keep exploring shapes!
Diahann Mangoni from ClayMeADream said 4 years ago
These are really cool!! congrats!!
Genise Park from GeniseParkArts said 4 years ago
Those are beautiful! I can see how you got addicted to making them. Delighted to have you featured!
Marni from rebourne said 4 years ago
megin!! congrats! loved hearing your background!
Catherine Lanzl from Clanzl said 4 years ago
Fascinating art form and history!! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Vintage Minnow from VintageMinnow said 4 years ago
Creativity! Geometry was the only part of math that i liked.
XENKA from XNKmisfits said 4 years ago
great article!
Rebecca Blevins from RaccoonValleyRouge said 4 years ago
It's so true! They are heavenly!
Chris Evans from Plastidermy said 4 years ago
Geometrics!! love it! bet you have some cool tattoo designs as well.
Mia from CloudBerryCrafts said 4 years ago
oh I remember the himmelis from my childhood in Finland, every house would have one- some of them were huge, and very elaborate...yours are beautiful too. Thanks for the reminder of how special they are :)
Raffaella Moreo from rrmiu said 4 years ago
a piece of heaven next to you.
Nancy and Frances Bukovsky from ObscureGems said 4 years ago
This is really neat! I love learning about different traditions that have found their way into modern culture. Thank you for sharing this interesting article.
Katherine Schad from SchadStudio said 4 years ago
So beautiful!
Lisa Castorena from MiddleChildEmporium said 4 years ago
Thank you for sharing these sacred pieces. Your designs are healing <3
Sarah Garza from BoogieBearInvitation said 4 years ago
Beautiful Design!
KayaSong from KayaSong said 4 years ago
Nice, love the look
Shelley McElhiney from samsstuff said 4 years ago
The pieces here are wonderful! Thank you for sharing the history & meaning behind them.
Caren from TheVintageApartment said 4 years ago
Loved finding out about the history of Himmeli! I knew they were Finnish in design, but not that they were part of their Christmas celebration. Thanks for writing this up and sharing it with all of us!
Elle from ChaseAndScoutDesign said 4 years ago
Beautiful article, our crystal necklaces are based on the basic Himmeli octahedron.
Stef and Mark from HomeStudio said 4 years ago
Very lovely! I love mobiles too! Great share.
Motleycouture from Motleycouture said 4 years ago
Such intricate designs! Very interesting! Wonderful feature!
Joy Binkley said 4 years ago
I think these are great and wonderful !!
Koren Kwan from GarasuWonderland said 3 years ago
beautiful designs!