Artek A808
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Cabinets
Birch
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
Birch
20th Century American Modern Cabinets
Wood
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Birch
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
Birch
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Vases
Murano Glass
Vintage 1930s French Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
Vintage 1970s German Space Age Table Lamps
Glass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Brass
Vintage 1920s German Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Benches
Wood, Elm
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Organic Modern Benches
Linen, Elm
Mid-20th Century Asian Benches
Cotton, Synthetic, Faux Fur, Elm
2010s Argentine Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood
Recent Sales
Vintage 1950s Finnish Floor Lamps
Brass, Steel
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Wood
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Brass, Steel
Alvar Aalto for sale on 1stDibs
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.
Read 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.
The Married Collectors behind Stockholm’s Newest Design Museum
Kersti Sandin and Lars Bülow want their new endeavor to educate both students and professionals about furniture design.