Alvar Aalto Mahogany Desk for Artek with Drawers and Pull Out Work Surfaces
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 59.25 in (150.5 cm)Depth: 28.38 in (72.09 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:c. 1949
- Condition:Repaired: There is a large section of the handle of the right pull out surface that had been broken off and was reattached and the area touched up. Please see detail photos. Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor structural damages. Overall wear and use with some marks and scratches. Overall appearance is good. Scratches to left pull out surface; a section of the handle on the right pull out surface was reattached and the area touched up. Please see detail photos.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: U1111078197470
Alvar Aalto
An architect and designer, Alvar Aalto deserves an immense share of the credit for bringing Scandinavian modernism to a prominent place in the global arena. In both his buildings and in his vintage furniture — which ranges from chairs, tables and lighting to table- and glassware — Aalto’s sensitivity to the natural world and to organic forms and materials tempered the hardness of rationalist design.
Relatively few Aalto buildings exist outside Finland. (Just four exist in the United States, and only one — the sinuous 1945 Baker House dormitory at M.I.T. — is easily visited.) International attention came to Aalto, whose surname translates to English as “wave,” primarily through his furnishings.
Instead of the tubular metal framing favored by the Bauhaus designers and Le Corbusier, Aalto insisted on wood. His aesthetic is best represented by the Paimio armchair, developed in 1930 as part of his overall design of a Finnish tuberculosis sanatorium. Comfortable, yet light enough to be easily moved by patients, the chair’s frame is composed of two laminated birch loops; the seat and back are formed from a single sheet of plywood that scrolls under at the headrest and beneath the knees, creating a sort of pillow effect. Aalto’s use of plywood had enormous influence on Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen, Marcel Breuer and others who later came to the material.
Concerned with keeping up standards of quality in the production of his designs, Aalto formed the still-extant company Artek in 1935, along with his wife, Aino Aalto, whose glass designs were made by the firm. In the latter medium, in 1936 the Aaltos together created the iconic, undulating Savoy vase, so-called for the luxe Helsinki restaurant for which the piece was designed.
Artek also produced Aalto pendants and other lighting designs, many of which — such as the Angel’s Wing floor lamp and the Beehive pendant — incorporate a signature Aalto detail: shades made of concentric enameled-metal rings graduated down in diameter. The effect of the technique is essential Alvar Aalto: at once precise, simple, and somehow poetic.
Find a collection of vintage Alvar Aalto stools, vases, dining tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Chicago, IL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Bakelite and Aluminum Industrial Desk Work Lamp with Adjustable Arm and ShadeLocated in Chicago, ILNice, circa 1930s, modernist style desk lamp in Bakelite and aluminum. The arm pivots on a ball and socket joint, and the shade adjusts its position on the arm. This is a nice exampl...Category
20th Century Industrial Table Lamps
MaterialsAluminum
- David Cressey Ceramic Table Lamp for Architectural Pottery with Textured SurfaceBy Architectural Pottery, David CresseyLocated in Chicago, ILCeramic table lamp designed by David Cressey for Architectural Pottery. It has a speckled brown glaze over a creamy base color and a textural surface treatment of freely applied squi...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Marianne Brandt Table Desk Lamp for Kandem with Adjustable Arm and ShadeBy KandemLocated in Chicago, ILArtist, sculptor, designer and teacher Marianne Brandt's desk lamp by Kandem is a classic, Bauhaus inspired design. The adjustable arm and shade make it an excellent task / work lam...Category
20th Century German Industrial Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Louis Kalff Table or Desk Lamp for Philips with Perforated Metal ShadeBy PhilipsLocated in Chicago, ILTable lamp with open top and perforated metal shade designed by Louis Kalff for Philips, Netherlands. This lamp has pleasing proportions, and an elegantly tapered stem. Please conta...Category
20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Sculptural Mahogany Coffee Table with Brass Legs and Carved Birds and FishLocated in Chicago, ILSculptural zigzag coffee table in mahogany with slender, tapered brass legs. It has a stepped rim around the edges with rounded corners. The top is a wonderfully carved relief sculpt...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Jane and Gordon Martz Ceramic Tile and Walnut Bookends for Marshall StudiosBy Gordon & Jane Martz, Marshall StudiosLocated in Chicago, ILThese ceramic tile and walnut bookends were designed and made by Jane and Gordon Martz for Marshall Studios. The rectangular forms are softened by the loose brush strokes in the glaz...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
MaterialsWalnut, Ceramic
- Alvar Aalto 60's Beech Desk and White DrawerBy Alvar AaltoLocated in 東御市, JPAlvar aalto design beachtop desk and drawer set in white paint. You can expect yellowing to amber in the future, and it has a beautiful aging feeling.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Modern Desks
MaterialsBeech, Birch
- Desk, Alvar Aalto, Artek, 1950/1960sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIDesk, design Alvar Aalto, manufactured by Artek, 1950/1960s. Teak table top with painted wood drawers. Good vintage condition, patina and wear consistent with age and use. Alvar Aa...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood, Teak
- Functionalist Birch Desk by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland, 1930sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SEStriking desk by Alvar Aalto, made from birch in a compact functionalist design. Drawers to the right and a filing cabinet to the left with a jalousie door. Ink spots inside the t...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBirch
- Vintage Functionalist Desk by Alvar Aalto, Artek, Finland, 1930sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SEDesk by Alvar Aalto made from birch with original green top. Lovely, clean lines. Neat size, small drawer to the left.Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBirch
- Writing Desk Table in Walnut, Drawers and Pull-Out Shelves, 19th Century ItalyLocated in Cuneo, Italy (CN)Antique piece of furniture, writing desk in walnut, hand-carved with turned legs, it was used as a bedroom due to its small size, it has twelve drawers, roller shutter...Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Desks
MaterialsWalnut
- Danish Mid-Century Modern Teak Pull Out Secretary Desk Chest of Drawers DresserBy Dux of Sweden, Arne Wahl IversenLocated in Rockaway, NJDanish Mid-Century Modern teak pull out secretary desk chest of drawers dresser.Category
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsTeak
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Very Modern Love Story of Mid-Century Design Duo Alvar and Aino Aalto
A power couple before the term existed, the influential pair made work that still resonates today.
What Makes Scandinavian Modernism and Nordic Design So Irresistible?
Andrew Duncanson, founder of the Stockholm- and London-based gallery Modernity, weighs in on the masters of mid-century furniture and decorative arts.