Asta (Baskauskas) Baškauskaitė (S’80) oversees a global custom architectural hardware business based in Vilnius, Lithuania, that brings old-world craftsmanship into the modern realm. Baškauskaitė has merged her love of quality design with her passion to support and contribute to Lithuania.
The daughter of refugees, Baškauskaitė grew up living a dual cultural life. When her parents fled to the United States during the Second World War, they instilled a strong work ethic in their children. “They encouraged us to focus on our education,” Baškauskaitė says. “They insisted that we learn about culture and the arts.” They wanted their children to remember their roots in Lithuania, which remained occupied until 1991. On Saturdays, Baškauskaitė attended Lithuanian school, where she learned the country’s history and language.
As a young adult, Baškauskaitė looked for a school with a strong academic reputation. She enjoyed her time at Purdue University and moved on to graduate school in dentistry but ultimately felt it wasn’t a good fit. After work in research, she took time off to try to find her passion.
That passion was ignited while flipping through a friend’s interior design magazine. “I came across an advertisement for luxury door handles from Europe,” Baškauskaitė says. “Maybe my keen eye, which I had developed during my years in dentistry, prompted me to focus on the fine detailing of the hardware.”
After contacting the importer, she and a friend went into business together selling luxury European hardware, including those fitted for US locks. Baškauskaitė had found her niche. When Lithuania regained its independence in 1991, she met with artisans and craftsmen in Vilnius and began production of bespoke luxury door handles in Lithuania. The Baltica brand, launched in 1996, promotes the freedom to create. Clients now include Queen Noor of Jordan, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Keith Richards, and Larry Ellison.
Baškauskaitė, a dual citizen, is active in her community, helping to preserve the historical Old Town of Vilnius and leading foundations for local youth. She serves as an adviser to several members of the Lithuanian government, including Mykolas Majauskas, a member of parliament.
“Her simplest deeds are powerful enough to spread the word and bring people together to improve the environment they live in,” Majauskas says of his adviser. “Little by little, with the help of people like Asta, Lithuanians become more socially and environmentally responsible.”
Her philanthropy also has extended to her alma mater. Late last year, Baškauskaitė contacted Mimi Arighi, associate professor of veterinary medicine at Purdue, offering Baltica’s custom door pulls for the new Centaur Equine Specialty Hospital in Shelbyville, Indiana.
“We will be putting this pull on the main door of our hospital entrance, which will be very impressive to all our clients that enter our facility,” Arighi says. “We were very pleased that Asta was willing to do this for us.”