Artek 915

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.

Beyond just providing additional tabletop space for your living room, an attractive vintage end table can help you organize as well as display books and decorative objects.

The term “end table” is frequently used interchangeably with “coffee table,” and while these two furnishings have much in common, each offers their own distinctive benefits in your space.

Your end table is likely going to stand as tall as the arms of your sofa, and its depth will match the seating. These attributes allow for tucking the table neatly at the end of your sofa in order to provide an elevated surface between your seating and the wall. End tables are accent pieces — they’re a close cousin to side tables, but side tables, not unlike the show-stealing low-profile coffee table, are intended to be positioned prominently and have more to do with the flow and design of a room than an end table, which does a great job but does it out of the way of everything else.

End tables with a drawer or a shelf can easily stow away books or television remotes. Living-room end tables frequently assist with lighting, specifically as they’re often positioned adjacent to a wall. Their height and compact tabletop render them ideal for table lamps and plants, particularly if parked near a window.

And given their practicality, there is no shortage of simple, streamlined end tables from mid-century modern favorites such as Baker Furniture Company, Dunbar and Knoll that will serve your clutter-clearing minimalist efforts or wide-open loft space well. But over the years, furniture designers have taken to venturesome experimentation, crafting tables from fallen trees, introducing organic shapes and playing with sculptural forms, so much so that your understated end table might eventually become the centerpiece of a room, no matter where you choose to place it. One-of-a-kind contemporary designs prove that there are endless options for what an end table can be, while furniture makers working in the Art Deco style have proven that end tables can be stacked, staggered and nested at will, creating all kinds of variations on this popular home accent.

Find an extraordinary variety of antique, new and vintage end tables on 1stDibs today.