Early Alvar Aalto nr. 31 Laminated Plywood Chair
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Toronto, Ontario
An exceptionally early example of the cantilever chair nr.31. Also manufactured by the Huonekalu-ha
Plywood
$35,917
H 24.02 in W 24.02 in D 29.93 in
Alvar Aalto Easy Chair Nr 31 Produced by O.y Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare easy chair model nr 31 designed by Alvar Aalto. Produced by O.y Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas
Birch
$30,513 / set
H 26.97 in W 24.22 in D 29.53 in
Rare, Early Alvar Aalto Model 31/42 Cantilevered Armchairs, Finland, 1930s
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
Rare, early Alvar Aalto model 31/42 cantilevered armchairs, Finland, 1930s, designed and produced
Birch, Plywood
$34,000
H 27.96 in W 24.02 in D 25.6 in
Alvar Aalto, rare collectable chair model 31 / 'Paimio', 1930/40s.
By Alvar Aalto, Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare sculptural and collectable armchair model No. 31 / Paimo by Alvar Aalto. Produced by Huonekalu
Beech
$12,136
H 24.81 in W 23.63 in D 29.93 in
Alvar Aalto, Birch Plywood Cantilever Chair, Model 31, Huonekalu-ja, Finland
By Alvar Aalto, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Alvar Aalto model 31 chair of moulded birch plywood, cantilevered one-piece seat and back suspended
Birch, Plywood
Early Mod. 31 Lounge Chair by Alvar Aalto
By Alvar Aalto
Located in London, GB
A fully restored early edition of the iconic Model 31 bentwood lounge chair, featuring a laminated
Bentwood, Pine, Plywood
Alvar Aalto Model 31 Cantilever Chair, Birch Plywood, 1930s
By Alvar Aalto
Located in San Francisco, CA
Alvar Aalto cantilever chair, model 31. A very rare 1st edition model 31 lounge chair by Alvar
Birch
$14,941
H 24.81 in W 23.63 in D 29.93 in
Early Alvar Aalto Spring Chair Model 31, Silver Birch and Birch, Artek 1950s
By Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab, Alvar Aalto, Artek
Located in Helsinki, FI
Rare version of one of the most iconic and finest furniture works from Alvar Aalto, the model 31
Birch, Plywood
$17,814
H 24.81 in W 23.63 in D 29.93 in
Early Alvar Aalto Spring Chair Model 31, Bent Plywood and Birch, Artek 1950s
By Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab, Alvar Aalto, Artek
Located in Helsinki, FI
One of the most iconic and finest furniture works from Alvar Aalto, the model 31 (later 42) chair
Birch, Plywood
$25,477
H 24.81 in W 23.63 in D 29.93 in
Early Alvar Aalto Spring Chair Model 31, Bent Plywood and Birch, Artek 1940s
By Artek, Alvar Aalto, Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab
Located in Helsinki, FI
One of the most iconic and finest furniture works from Alvar Aalto, the model 31 (later 42) chair
Birch, Plywood
Alvar Aalto Model 31
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Brugge, BE
Early version of the model 31 by Aalto. Provenance: A collection in Zurich, Switzerland.
Bentwood
Alvar Aalto Model 31 Chair, circa 1930s
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Victoria, BC
Exceptional early example of Alvar Aalto's model 31 chair. This piece is comprised of bentwood and
Birch
Cantilever Lounge Chair Nr. 31 by Alvar Aalto, Finland, 1930s
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Antwerp, BE
Cantilever; Lounge Chair; Armchair; nr. 31; Alvar Aalto; Finland; 1930s; Finnish Architect
Birch, Plywood
Sold
H 22.84 in W 23.63 in D 31.5 in
Alvar Aalto, Early Original Cantilever Chair, model 31, birch plywood
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) Cantilever Chair, model 31 bent laminated plywood frame and birch root
Birch
Sold
H 25.99 in W 23.63 in D 27.56 in
Alvar Aalto, Early Original Cantilever Chair, model 31, birch plywood
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) Cantilever Chair, model 31 bent laminated plywood frame and birch root
Birch
Rare and Early Alvar Aalto No.31 Chair, circa 1930
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Munich, DE
. Signed to the underside of both runners with no.1. Most of the chairs of the 1. Edition are crooked
Plywood
Sold
H 26.97 in W 23.82 in D 30.32 in
Alvar Aalto 31 Lounge Chair for the Paimio Sanitorium, Finland, 1931
By Alvar Aalto
Located in London, GB
Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas As an architect and designer, Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) should be
Birch
Sold
H 26.97 in W 24.02 in D 26.78 in
Alvar Aalto Lounge Chair in Birch Plywood Model 31/41, 1935 Finland
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Hellouw, NL
Alvar Aalto lounge chair Model 31/41, 1935 Finland. This cantilever chair is made of shaped birch
Birch, Plywood
Alvar Aalto Lounge Chair Model 31/42, Finland, Circa 1935
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Culver City, CA
Alvar Aalto lounge chair model 31/42, Finland, Circa 1935. Deformed birch plywood, partly
Plywood
Little Paimio Cantilevered Chair by Alvar Aalto, Model 31/42
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Turku, Finland
"Little Paimio" chair 31/42 was originally created for the interior of a tuberculosis sanatorium in
Birch, Plywood
Sold
H 27.56 in W 24.02 in D 29.53 in
Pair of Chairs Model 31 in Birchwood by Alvar Aalto, Finland, circa 1930s
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Brussels, BE
Pair of chairs model 31 in birchwood by Alvar Aalto, Finland, circa 1930s.
Wood
ALVAR AALTO ; TYPE 31 CHAIR ; 1930'S W/LABEL
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Early production Alvar Aaalto type 31/42 cantilevered armchair , originally designed for the Paimio
Cantilever Lounge Chair Model 31/42 by Alvar Aalto
By Artek, Alvar Aalto
Located in Atlanta, GA
Cantilever lounge chair model 31/42 by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland. This example is believed to
Birch, Bentwood
Alvar Aalto Cantilever Chair °31
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Antwerp, BE
Alvar Aalto cantilever chair model n° 31. Laminated beech frame. Designed for the Paimio
Beech
Sold
H 24.61 in W 23.63 in D 27.56 in
Alvar Aalto 31 Lounge Chair for the Paimio Sanitorium, Finland, 1931
By Alvar Aalto
Located in London, GB
, architect and designer Alvar Aalto is not only one of Finland’s most celebrated and well-known figures, but
Birch
Sold
H 29.14 in W 24.02 in D 27.56 in
Vintage Cantilever Lounge Chair by Alvar Aalto, Model 31, Finland, Designed 30s
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Odense, DK
Rare armchair by Alvar Aalto, model 31 in birch, upholstered in cowskin. The general impression
Cowhide, Birch
Cantilever lounge chair by Alvar Aalto
By Alvar Aalto
Located in New York, NY
Alvar Aalto Cantilever lounge chair, model 31/42 Artek Finland, 1932/c. 1950
Alvar Aalto 31 Chair
By Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Alvar Aalto
Located in Epperstone, Nottinghamshire
Model 31 chair designed by Alvar Aalto for O.y. Huonekalu – Ja Rakennustyotehdas AB, Finland. This
Plywood
Cantilever Chair nr. 31 by Alvar Aalto
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Amsterdam, NL
This chair is an icon in plywood design history. The frame was revolutionary. It marked the first
Alvar Aalto Cantilever Lounge Chair, Model 31/42
By Alvar Aalto, Artek
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed by Alvar Aalto in 1932. The laminated birch frame produces a unique cantilevered shape
Birch
Alvar Aalto Cantilever Lounge Chair, Model 31/42
By Artek, Alvar Aalto
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed by Alvar Aalto in 1932. The laminated birch frame produces a unique cantilevered shape
Birch, Plywood
Alvar Aalto Lounge chair no.31
Located in Antwerp, BE
Aalto's lounge chair 31 is the first chair design utilizing laminated plywood in a cantilevered
Alvar Aalto Wohnbedorf Lounge Chair
Located in New York, NY
Alvar Aalto Finland. lounge chair, model 31. birch, laminated plywood. edition Wohnbedarf
Birch
Alvar Aalto Lounge chair no.31
Located in Antwerp, BE
Aalto's lounge chair 31 is the first chair design utilizing laminated plywood in a cantilevered
Plywood
Alvar Aalto Armchair Modell 31
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Bern, CH
This armchair was designed by Alvar Aalto and produced by Finmar in 1932. It is made from birchwood
Pair of 70s Style Italian Bamboo and Brass Table Lamps
Located in New York, NY
Monumental size Bamboo lamps. Crafted in Italy and made to order, these lamps are modern and chic. Production lead time 2-4 weeks. Base diameter 8 inches, hat diameter 20 inches, he...
Brass
$15,897 / item
H 27.56 in W 100.4 in D 37.8 in
Arflex Marenco Sofa in Fabric Heidi and Candy by Mario Marenco
By Mario Marenco, Arflex
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Marenco Sofa is designed by Mario Marenco for Arflex. This sofa features the system with making the armrest and seat as the base portion. There is a metal tubular frame facilitated f...
Metal
$1,650 / item
H 16.1 in Dm 11.5 in
'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö
By Örsjö Industri AB
Located in Glendale, CA
'Plissé White Edition' pleated textile table lamp by Folkform for Örsjö. This unique table lamp was awarded “Lighting of the Year 2022” by Residence Magazine Sweden, who called it “...
Textile
$2,750 / item
H 17.72 in Dm 14.97 in
Soda Blown Murano Glass High Coffee Table in Amber by Yiannis Ghikas
By Miniforms, Yiannis Ghikas
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Soda was born upside-down, with a puff of air. It weighs 20 kilos, and it is blown, drawn out and shaped by three master glassmakers. The result is a single volume of glass with thre...
Blown Glass
Pair of Modern Walnut Side Tables
By Theodore Alexander
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Pacific walnut side table, the square top with rounded corners and a reeded edge above a similar under tier, on bobbin turned legs. Dimensions: 26" W x 26" D x 28.5" H.
Wood
$1,915 / set
H 21.66 in W 24.02 in D 35.83 in
Pair of Italian Mid-Century-Modern Lounge Chairs in Ochre Boucle, 1970s Italy
Located in Zagreb, HR
Pair of Vintage Italian Mid-Century Modern lounge chairs or club chairs. Modules can be used as a modular sofa or modular seating set. Beautiful and unique shape. A 1970 design and p...
Bouclé, Foam, Wood
$20,951 / set
H 35.44 in W 37.41 in D 37.41 in
Pair of Easy Chairs with Side Table in Beech and Leather by Arne Norell, 1960s
By Arne Norell
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Pair of easy chairs with side table in beech, leather and brass by Arne Norell, 1960s. Additional Information: Material: beech, leather, brass. Style: Midcentury, Scandinavia. ...
Brass
Art Deco Italian Side Table in Burl Wood
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Art Deco side table, walnut burl, elm burl, Italy, 1940s This stunning Art Deco side table is an exquisite example of Italian craftsmanship from the 1940s. Its design features a cap...
Burl
$6,225
H 28.35 in W 70.08 in D 38.59 in
Le Bambole sofa in velvet By Mario Bellini For B&B Italia, 1970s
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
Beautiful Le Bambole sofa in coral/pink coloured velvet designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia in the 1970s. This beautiful edition is reupholstered in a high quality cotton velve...
Velvet
Sculptural Scandinavian Modern Chair in Wood Denmark - 1960s
Located in Berlin, DE
Sculptural Scandinavian Modern Chair in Wood, Denmark - 1960s.
Wood
$1,800 / item
H 26 in W 18 in D 18 in
Bertu Counter Stool, Cicely Modern Sheepskin Counter Stool, White Oak
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Bertu Counter Stool, Cicely Modern Sheepskin Counter Stool, White Oak This Modern Cicely Counter Stool with Sheepskin Seat is beautifully constructed from solid white oak in Ohio, ...
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
Frank Gehry Easy Edges Chairs and Ottoman
By Frank Gehry
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Frank Gehry pair of easy Edges chair and ottoman. Easy Edges, Inc. Canada/USA, 1972. Laminated cardboard, masonite. Chair: 29¼ H × 23¼ W × 39 D in, ottoman: 14¾ H × 17¾ W × 30 D in (...
Masonite, Paper
$87,997 / set
H 28.35 in Dm 46.07 in
Dining Set Designed by Alvar Aalto for Finmar Ltd., Finland, 1929
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Stockholm, SE
Dining set designed by Alvar Aalto for Finmar Ltd., Finland, 1929. Birch. Stamped. This rare dining set by the Finish design icon Alvar Aalto is characterised by the combination of...
Birch
Guillerme & Chambron, Nightstands, Oak, France, 1960s
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of oak nightstands designed and produced by Guillerme & Chambron, France, c. 1960s. Overall Dimensions (inches): 23.0"H x 17.5"W x 12.5"D All items ship from High Point, Nor...
Wood, Oak
$7,734 / item
H 39.38 in W 9.85 in D 31.5 in
Parchment, Brass and Glass Table Lamp by Diego Mardegan for Glustin Luminaires
By Diego Mardegan
Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF
Ventola table lamp by the artist Diego Mardegan exclusively for Glustin Luminaires. Beautiful two ways shade made of a brass structure, parchemin paper and waxed fabric hold by an...
Brass
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Zig Zag Chair by Cassina
By Cassina, Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Chair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1934. Relaunched in 1973/ 2011. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Materials: Wood Dimensions: D 43 cm x W 37 cm x H 74 cm (SH ...
Wood
An architect and designer, Alvar Aalto deserves an immense share of the credit for bringing Scandinavian modernism and Nordic design to a prominent place in the global arena. In both his buildings and his vintage furniture — which ranges from chairs, stools, 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 with his wife, Aino Aalto, in 1930 as part of the overall design of a Finnish tuberculosis sanatorium.
Comfortable, yet light enough to be easily moved by patients, the Paimio 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 the headrest and beneath the knees, creating a sort of pillow effect. Aalto’s use of plywood had an 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 Aino, 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.
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.