Rare Tapio Wirkkala Coffee Set
View Similar Items
Rare Tapio Wirkkala Coffee Set
About the Item
- Creator:Tapio Wirkkala (Designer)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93471073340
Tapio Wirkkala
Along with architect Alvar Aalto, the designer Tapio Wirkkala was Finland’s leading contributor to the Scandinavian interpretation of modernism in the mid-20th century. Prolific and innovative, Wirkkala excelled in a wide range of fields, including glass, furniture, porcelain, jewelry and tableware. The hallmark of his talent was an ability to impart a craft aesthetic based on natural forms — leaves, ice, bubbles, birds — to industrially produced designs.
A native of Helsinki, Wirkkala studied at the national School of Applied Arts and took up a career in graphic design. After serving in the Finnish army during World War II, he joined the glassmaking firm Iittala, an association that would continue to the end of his life. Wirkkala learned every aspect of glassmaking in keeping with his belief that an artist-designer should be involved in all stages of production. His best-known works for Iittala are vases and drinking vessels that resemble either carved ice or icicles. In 1956, Wirkkala began a long relationship with the porcelain maker Rosenthal, for whom he designed elegant table pieces, such as the Finlandia coffee service and the biomorphic Pollo vases.
House Beautiful magazine declared Wirkkala’s Leaf platter the “most beautiful object” of 1951. (The acclaim led to his brief employment stint with industrial designer Raymond Loewy in New York.) That platter was one of the first designs Wirkkala made using laminated sheets of plywood sanded to a smooth surface that resembles an abstract leaf. It would go on to become a motif in many Wirkkala furniture pieces — most notably in inlaid coffee tables for Asko — and in a sense these are the works most emblematic of his personal aesthetic.
Wirkkala was a traditionalist in many ways, but he had a modernist’s practical approach, incorporating his leaf-like spirals into simple, functional objects. That is the core attraction of Wirkkala’s designs: They stand out with a striking, sculptural energy yet blend in as part of a warm and comfortable decor.
Find vintage Tapio Wirkkala furniture on 1stDibs.
- Tapio Wirkkala Silver Punch SetBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Toronto, OntarioA beautiful solid silver Pitcher and cups by Tapio Wirkkala for Kultakeskus, Oy. Created by a single craftsperson from start to finish.Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Pitchers
MaterialsSilver
- Tapio Wirkkala Copper and Silver Coffee SetBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Toronto, OntarioA solid copper coffee set including coffee pot, creamer, sugar pot, and very hard to find solid copper serving tray. Lined in silver, these sets wer...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsCopper
$4,500 / set - Rare Tapio Wirkkala Coffee Table for AskoBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Toronto, OntarioA great example of Tapio Wirkkala's iconic coffee table for Asko Finland. This piece has two leaf motif decorations on the tabletop. Branded Asko.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Tapio Wirkkala Coffee TableBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Toronto, OntarioDesigned for Asko, Finland in 1958. These tables are highly sought after and regarded as Tapio Wirkkala's most important production furniture. Made from hand-sculpted solid el...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsElm
$28,000 - Exotic Wood Coffee Table by Tapio WirkkalaBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Toronto, OntarioA very exciting coffee table in rare woods by Tapio Wirkkala for Asko, circa 1958. This example has a taller base than most which is very well suited for the display of small obje...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- SIlver Tapio Wirkkala bowl TW 282By Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Toronto, OntarioA beautiful handmade to order solid silver bowl by Tapio Wirkkala for Kultakeskus .Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Bowls
- Tapio Wirkkala, Trays, Birch Plywood, Finland, 1950sBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in High Point, NCA pair of birch plywood trays designed by Tapio Wirkkala and produced by Soinne & Knioy, Finland, 1950sCategory
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsBirch
- Tapio Wirkkala, Tray, Birch Plywood, Finland, 1950sBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in High Point, NCA birch plywood tray designed by Tapio Wirkkala and produced by Soinne & Knioy, Finland, 1950sCategory
Vintage 1950s Finnish Serving Pieces
MaterialsBirch
- Tapio Wirkkala Tray Produced by Soinne et Kni in FinlandBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länVery rare tray designed by Tapio Wirkkala. Produced by Soinne et Kni in Finland.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsBirch, Laminate
- Sculptural Swedish Modern Teak "Gondola" Tray by Tapio Wirkkala for KalmarBy J.T. Kalmar, Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Brooklyn, NYGondola-form teakwood tray manufactured in the 1960s by Tapio Wirkkala for Kalmar of Sweden. Elegant, graceful form with rich color and vibrant teakwood grain. Conservatively ref...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Serving Pieces
MaterialsTeak
- Tapio Wirkkala Finnish Silver Leaf Shape Handled Bon Bon DishBy Tapio WirkkalaLocated in Bishop's Stortford, HertfordshireA stunning mid-century Finnish silver leaf shaped handled bon bon dish designed by Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) dated 1965. The dish is of a simple leaf shaped design formed like a hea...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver
MaterialsSilver
- Omar Ramsden 1920s Antique Sterling Silver Coffee JugBy Omar RamsdenLocated in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneAn exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver coffee jug; an addition to the silver teaware collection. This exceptional antique George V English st...Category
Vintage 1920s British Pitchers
MaterialsSilver, Sterling Silver