There are few countries whose modern identity is more closely linked to a rich culture of design and architecture than Finland. Its great exponent, of course, was Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), whose career exemplified the notion of Gesamtkunstwerk—or total work of art—meaning that his hand touched everything from master plans to glassware. Eliel Saarinen, half a generation his senior, held a similar position. Recalled Eero Saarinen, “My father used to say that, from an ashtray to a city plan, everything is architecture.”

Last month, I went to Finland for the 13th International Alvar Aalto Symposium, held every three years. Though Aalto died nearly 40 years ago, his influence, and that of other early Finnish modernists, can still be seen in Finland’s contemporary planning, architecture, and design. The appreciation of design seems embedded in the country’s DNA. Touring an exemplary new public elementary and middle school, designed by Verstas Architects for a Helsinki suburb, I saw well-appointed workshops where all children learn crafts such as weaving and woodworking, as part of the national, gender-neutral curriculum.