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Eero Aarnio Furniture

Finnish, b. 1932

“I always look ahead, never back,” Finnish design legend Eero Aarnio has been quoted as saying. A leading innovator of modern furniture design, Aarnio has long embraced a bold, playful, confident and colorful style several steps ahead of his time.

For his 1954 entrance test for the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki, Aarnio created a whimsical painting of a man reading a newspaper in a red, curved chair whose silhouette foreshadowed Aarnio’s Ball chair of 1963. That spherical seat skyrocketed him to design fame, and decades later, it is still recognized as one of the world’s most futuristic designs.

Born in 1932 to a house painter and a seamstress, Aarnio has always had a cheerful disposition and an independent spirit. He went his own way early on: After just two years at Asko, the big Scandinavian furniture company that originally produced his Ball chair, Aarnio established his own studio in 1962.

Over the next decade, the young visionary made an indelible mark on the world. Open-minded and entrepreneurial, Aarnio embraced the aesthetics, materials and technologies of the Swinging Sixties, working with a new generation of plastics and molding them into fluid, organically shaped, brightly hued forms.

Introduced at the 1966 Cologne Furniture Fair, the pod-like fiberglass Ball chair soon adorned the homes of movie stars and royalty, graced magazine covers around the world and was featured in films and ads. The groundbreaking seat originally came in orange, white, black, yellow and red and could be ordered with a telephone installed in it. Yet this designer of the future, as he was known in the 1960s, has always insisted that he didn’t deliberately seek to be associated with the decade’s sci-fi aesthetic.

“I had no intention to create either pop or Space Age design — as many people label my work,” Aarnio declares in one of the essays included in Eero Aarnio — Designer of Colour and Joy, a book jointly created by the Design Museum and publisher WSOY to accompany 2016’s “Eero Aarnio” exhibition.

The show featured a number of Aarnio’s objects, including his iconic Ball, Pastil (1967), Bubble (1968), Tomato (1971) and Pony (1973) chairs. These were joined by lesser-known seating and other objects like the rattan Juttujakkara, or mushroom, stool (1960); the sculptural Double Bubble lamp (2000), with which Aarnio first explored the possibilities of rotation-cast plastic; and the three-legged Rocket (1995) and Baby Rocket (2006) stools, both parts of a collection produced by Artek after Tom Dixon, the company’s creative director from 2004 to 2009, discovered the original piece in Aarnio’s kitchen.

“Aarnio expanded the whole idea of what constitutes furniture,” explained Suvi Saloniemi, the Design Museum’s chief curator. “His significance as a designer is crystallized in the liberation of form that he has introduced by discovering the properties of plastic as the material of a designer. His furniture is sculpture-like and eye-catching, but the pieces are always utilitarian at the same time.”

Find an extraordinary range of vintage Eero Aarnio chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Period: 1970s
Creator: Eero Aarnio
Eero Aarnio Pony Chair, 1970s Finland
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare, playful and iconic pony chair by designer Eero Aarnio in orange wool. The pony chair was designed by the Finnish designer in 1973 and has been a staple of contemporary design e...
Category

1970s Finnish Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

Materials

Wool, Foam

One pair of Eero Aarnio Lounge chair "RUUTU" in a near-new condition
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Djurhamn, SE
Eero Aarnio is one of Finland's great designers with several international awards and noted furniture such as the Ball Chair. Among other things, he collaborated with the Finnish fur...
Category

1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

Materials

Birch

Mid Century White Round Dining Table by Eero Aarnio, around 1970
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Berlin, DE
This fantastic and very rare Kantarelli Dining Table by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio was made in white fiberglass-reinforced polyester. The circular table top is resting on a central...
Category

1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

Materials

Fiberglass, Lacquer

Mid-Century Modern Black Metal Armchair by Eero Aarnio for Mobile Italia, 1970s
By Eero Aarnio, Mobel Italia
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid-Century Modern Black Metal Armchair by Eero Aarnio for Mobile Italia, 1970s. Due to its uniquely curved metal frame, this black armchair is immediately recognisable as a masterp...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

Materials

Steel

Eero Aarnio for UPO Armchair, Finland 1970
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Red plastic frame with brown upholstered seat. Small crack on underside of chair. Does not affect stability.
Category

1970s Finnish Space Age Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

Materials

Upholstery, Plastic

Midcentury Space Age Coffee Table UPO, Eero Aarnio, Finland, 1970s
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Praha, CZ
- Rare type - Very practical - Marked.
Category

1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

Materials

Metal

rare vintage bed Abacus by Eero Aarnio for Asko, 1970
By Eero Aarnio, Asko
Located in Untersiggenthal, AG
Dieses äußerst seltene Bett wurde vom berühmten finnischen Designer Eero Aarnio entworfen. Es wurde von ASKO, Finnland, in den 1970er Jahren hergestellt. Dieses Stück ist in sehr gut...
Category

1970s Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

Materials

Hardwood

Related Items
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Iconic Eero Aarnio Natural Leather Bubble Chair
Iconic Eero Aarnio Natural Leather Bubble Chair
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Iconic Eero Aarnio Black Formula Chair
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Iconic Eero Aarnio Black Formula Chair
Iconic Eero Aarnio Black Formula Chair
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Iconic Eero Aarnio Yellow Pastil Chair
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Iconic Eero Aarnio Black Leather Swivel Ball Lounge Chair
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Iconic Eero Aarnio Silver Bubble Chair
Iconic Eero Aarnio Silver Bubble Chair
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Eero Aarnio Black Copacabana Bench
By Eero Aarnio
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Designed by Eero Aarnio, 1991 The Copacabana was designed to go with the Pastil chair; the curved line of the table suits the round shape of the chair. Copacabana can be used as bot...
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Eero Aarnio Black Copacabana Bench
Eero Aarnio Black Copacabana Bench
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Vintage Eero Aarnio Suspended Lucite Bubble Chair White Powder Coated Stand
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20th Century Mid-Century Modern Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Classic Mid-Century Eero Saarinen Style Tulip Dining Table by Cees Braakman
By Pastoe, Cees Braakman
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sleek and stylish all white tulip base dining table designed by Cees Braakman in the style of Eero Saarinen for Pastoe. The Netherlands. It can be said that Braakman was almost liter...
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1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Iconic Eero Aarnio White Pastil Chair
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Eero Aarnio made the first prototype of the Pastil chair out of polystyrene, which helped him to verify the measurements, ergonomics and rocking ability. ...
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Iconic Eero Aarnio White Pastil Chair
Iconic Eero Aarnio White Pastil Chair
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Iconic Eero Aarnio Pink Pastil Chair
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Eero Aarnio made the first prototype of the Pastil chair out of polystyrene, which helped him to verify the measurements, ergonomics and rocking ability. ...
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Iconic Eero Aarnio Pink Pastil Chair
Iconic Eero Aarnio Pink Pastil Chair
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Eero Saarinen Tulip Armchairs for Knoll, 1960
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1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Previously Available Items
1970s “Pastil” Chair by Eero Aarnio for Asko, Finland
By Eero Aarnio, Asko
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A “Pastil” chair designed by Eero Aarnio, manufactured by Asko in Finland around 1970. Made of white plastic, this space-age style chair is a real eye-catcher to any decor! Molded i...
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1970s Finnish Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Plastic

Usa Modern Black Marble Coffee Table Tulip by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, 1970s
By Eero Aarnio, Knoll
Located in MIlano, IT
USA modern black marble Coffee table mod. Tulip by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, 1970s Coffee table mod. Tulip with round top in black mar...
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1970s American Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Pair of Very Early Pastil Chairs by Eero Aarnio for Asko, 1967
By Eero Aarnio, Asko
Located in Munster, NRW
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1970s Finnish Space Age Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Fiberglass

Rare "Abakus" Bed Frame by Eero Aarnio for Asko Finland, 1970s
By Eero Aarnio, Asko
Located in Helsinki, FI
Abakus bed frame by Eero Aarnio for Asko Finland from the 1970s. Black wood frame with playful knob details. A classic Eero Aarnio design. Good vintage condition. Easy to assemble. Eero Aarnio (born 1932) is a Finnish designer. He is considered one of the greatest innovators and innovators in modern furniture design. During his career, Aarnio has experimented with a wide range of materials, including plastic, fibreglass and foam. Using these materials, he created several of the most iconic products in Finnish furniture design, such as the Ball Chair (1962), the Bubble Chair (1968) and the Pastille Chair...
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1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Wood

Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio for Adelta, 1970s
By Eero Aarnio, Adelta
Located in Lasne, BE
Ball cocoon armchair that turns 360° on itself. The cushions and the inside of the chair are in blue fabric. Wear due to time and age of the chair
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1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Metal

Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio for Adelta, 1970s
Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio for Adelta, 1970s
H 49.22 in W 40.56 in D 35.44 in
Eero Aarnio Ball Chair for Adelta, 1980s
By Eero Aarnio, Adelta
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
This design is from outer space! The ball chair was designed in 1963 and debuted at the Cologne Furniture Fair in 1966. The chair is one of the most famous and beloved classics of Fi...
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1970s Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Metal

Eero Aarnio Ball Chair for Adelta, 1980s
Eero Aarnio Ball Chair for Adelta, 1980s
H 47.25 in W 43.31 in D 29.14 in
Green Vintage Tomato Chair by Eero Aarnio for Adelta Finland
By Eero Aarnio, Adelta
Located in Vienna, AT
Eero has always been drawn to the circular form and is perhaps best known for his designs ‘without edges’. The Tomato chair combines three circles on a ba...
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1970s Finnish Space Age Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Fiberglass

Spage Age Coffee Table in the Style of Eero Aarnio, 1970
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Oostrum-Venray, NL
Spage Age Coffee table in the style of Eero Aarnio, 1970 This is a beautiful Spage Age coffee table with nice dimples in the top. This table is closed all around and very sim...
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1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Eero Aarnio Pony Chair
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare, playful and iconic pony chair by designer Eero Aarnio in red wool. The pony chair was designed by the Finnish designer in 1973 and has been a staple o...
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1970s Finnish Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Metal

Eero Aarnio Pony Chair
Eero Aarnio Pony Chair
H 32 in W 45 in D 21 in
Extremly Rare Eero Aarnio "Abakus" Bed, ASKO, Finland, 1970s
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This extremely rare bed was designed by famous Finnish designer Eero Aarnio. It was produced by ASKO, Finland around 1970s. This piece is in very good condition - the surface has bee...
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1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Dining Table & Chairs Set by Eero Aarnio for Upo Furniture, 1970s
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Located in Helsinki, FI
The rare set of 4 stacking chairs with the matching table designed by Eero Aarnio for Upo Furniture, 1970s. White plastic, metal crossbars beneath the table top to make it sturdy. ...
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1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Eero Aarnio Mid Century Wicker Side End Table Ottoman
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Countryside, IL
Eero Aarnio mid century wicker side end table ottoman. Ottoman measures: 28.75 wide x 28.75 deep x 17.25 high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we call restored vintage ...
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1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Eero Aarnio Furniture

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Eero Aarnio furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Eero Aarnio furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of plastic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Eero Aarnio furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 35 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 52 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Eero Aarnio were created in the modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Aino Aalto, and Mikko Laakkonen. Prices for Eero Aarnio furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $135 and can go as high as $20,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,562.
Questions About Eero Aarnio Furniture
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    The iconic Ball Chair is made of fiberglass, creating that rounded shape. The interior of a Ball Chair is upholstered in fine fabrics. Originally designed by Finnish furniture designer Eero Aarnio in 1963, this rounded chair is considered a classic display of industrial design. Shop a collection of Ball Chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 1, 2024
    Whether or not Eero Aarnio Ball chairs are comfortable or not is largely a matter of personal opinion. When the chair debuted in 1966, the New York Times reporter who saw it at the International Furniture Fair in Cologne suggested that the seating on display was "designed more for laughs than for comfort." However, the distinctive chair brought Aarnio instant commercial success. Today, many people still find the inviting foam-filled fabric seat inside its molded-fiberglass orb to be as comfortable to sit on as it is pleasing to the eye. Shop an assortment of vintage Eero Aarnio Ball chairs on 1stDibs.

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