Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
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.
Late 20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Teak, Glass
1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1980s Swedish Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
Mid-20th Century German Art Deco Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass, Softwood, Paint
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Brass
1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
Mid-20th Century German Art Deco Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass, Softwood, Paint
1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
1990s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1980s Swedish Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1960s Finnish Modern Vintage Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Opal
Mid-20th Century Finnish Art Deco Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Alvar Aalto Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass