“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.
$395Sale Price|74% Off
Eero Aarnio Small Walnut Parabel Table in STOCK
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Walnut Parabel side table Damaged during transportation but still a very beautiful piece. The Parabel was designed in 1993 by Eero Aarnio, and first shown at the International Furn...
Walnut
Eero Aarnio Solid Pine wood drop leaf dining table Laukaan Puu 1970s
By Eero Aarnio, Laukaan Puu
Located in Den Haag, NL
Solid Pine ,drop leaf dining table design by Eero Aarnio for Laukaan Puu, 1970s . Very easy to use . One drawer used on both sides . 64 cm to 180cm Good condition .
Pine
$4,940 / item
Eero Aarnio Large Silver Screw Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Eero Aarnio, 1991 Eero’s approach to Industrial Design has often seen simple and hidden forms become real and visible objects. Screws are used...
Fiberglass
$4,076 / item
Eero Aarnio Small White Screw Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Eero Aarnio 1991 Eero’s approach to industrial design has often seen simple and hidden forms become real and visible objects. Screws are used in most pieces of furniture – but the Screw table...
Fiberglass
1970’s Kantarelli Dining Table by Eero Aarnio
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Space Age Kantarelli dining table designed by Eero Aarnio, 1970. In excellent vintage condition.
Fiberglass, Lacquer
$1,544 / item
Eero Aarnio Small Walnut Parabel Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
The Parabel was designed in 1993 by Eero Aarnio, and first shown at the International Furniture Fair in Cologne, Germany in January 2002. The table is made of fibreglass and comes in...
Maple
Midcentury Space Age Coffee Table UPO, Eero Aarnio, Finland, 1970s
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Praha, CZ
- Rare type - Very practical - Marked.
Metal
$4,076 / item
Eero Aarnio Small Silver Screw Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Eero Aarnio 1991 Eero’s approach to industrial design has often seen simple and hidden forms become real and visible objects. Screws are used in most pieces of furniture – but the Screw table...
Fiberglass
$4,940 / item
Eero Aarnio Large Black Screw Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Eero Aarnio 1991 Eero’s approach to industrial design has often seen simple and hidden forms become real and visible objects. Screws are used in most pieces of furniture – but the Screw table...
Fiberglass
$4,076 / item
Eero Aarnio Small Black Screw Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Eero Aarnio 1991 Eero’s approach to industrial design has often seen simple and hidden forms become real and visible objects. Screws are used in most pieces of furniture – but the Screw table...
Fiberglass
$8,398 / item
Eero Aarnio Large White Parabel Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
The Parabel was designed in 1993 by Eero Aarnio, and first shown at the International Furniture Fair in Cologne, Germany in January 2002. The table is made of fibreglass and comes in...
Fiberglass
$9,942 / item
Eero Aarnio White Oval Parabel Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
The Parabel was designed in 1993 by Eero Aarnio, and first shown at the International Furniture Fair in Cologne, Germany in January 2002. The table is made of fibreglass and comes in...
Fiberglass
$4,940 / item
Eero Aarnio Large White Screw Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Eero Aarnio, 1991 Eero’s approach to industrial design has often seen simple and hidden forms become real and visible objects. Screws are used...
Fiberglass
$2,717 / item
Iconic Eero Aarnio Large White Mushroom Stool
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
He Mushroom is one of Eero’s oldest designs and in its fibreglass form is part of the same design family that includes the ball chair, Pastil and Tomato. It can be used as a stool or...
Fiberglass
$2,347 / item
Iconic Eero Aarnio Small Black Mushroom Stool
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
He mushroom is one of Eero’s oldest designs and in its fibreglass form is part of the same design family that includes the ball chair, Pastil and Tomato. It can be used as a stool or...
Fiberglass
$2,717 / item
Iconic Eero Aarnio Large Black Mushroom Stool
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Mushroom is one of Eero’s oldest designs and in its fibreglass form is part of the same design family that includes the Ball Chair, Pastil and Tomato. It can be used as a stool or a ...
Fiberglass
$2,347 / item
Iconic Eero Aarnio Small White Mushroom Stool
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
Mushroom is one of Eero’s oldest designs and in its fibreglass form is part of the same design family that includes the Ball Chair, Pastil and Tomato. It can be used as a stool or a ...
Fiberglass
$1,700Sale Price|50% Off
H 20 in W 24 in D 15 in
Chicago Side Table in Oiled Walnut by May Furniture IN STOCK MODEL ON SALE
By May Furniture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Architecturally-inspired side table in Oiled Walnut. Handmade to order and custom sizes, this side table features refined lines and meticulously cut telescopic inspired legs. Sta...
Hardwood
19th Century Country English Drop-Leaf Pine Farmhouse Dining Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Rustic 19th century country English farmhouse dining table or harvest table. Features 12.5 inch drop leaves on each side. Opens to a 53....
Pine
Iconic Eero Aarnio Small Black Mushroom Stool
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
He mushroom is one of Eero’s oldest designs and in its fibreglass form is part of the same design family that includes the ball chair, Pastil and Tomato. It can be used as a stool or...
Fiberglass
Eero Saarinen Marble Top Dining Table for Knoll circa 1970s
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Atlanta, GA
Marble Top Tulip Dining Table, designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, American, circa 2000s. This is a licensed authentic example and is signed with a Knoll label underneath. This tabl...
Marble, Metal
Eos Small C Table in Walnut by Chi Wing Lo
By Giorgetti S.p.A., Chi Wing Lo
Located in Boston, MA
Eos is a small table perfect to be a servant amidst armchairs and sofas. Small rectangular table in Maple. Small table with the frame in so...
Walnut
Tulip Dining table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, 1970s
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in MONTESSON, FR
This dining table was designed by Finnish-American designer Eero Saarinen. It is the Tulip model, designed in 1956 for Knoll. The tabletop is made of marble and the base is made of c...
Marble, Metal
$800Sale Price|20% Off
H 26.5 in W 21 in D 38 in
Antique Early American Pine Drop Leaf Farmhouse Dining Breakfast Table Console
Located in Dayton, OH
A quaint early 20th century farmhouse drop leaf breakfast table or console. A rectangular form made from pine with cut corners along the lea...
Pine
Vintage Eero Saarinen Model 174W Tulip Dining Table
By Eero Saarinen
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
To accompany his famous Tulip chair design, Eero Saarinen designed the Tulip table. A simple design with timeless beauty. At 54 inches diameter, it can comfortably fit 6 chairs aroun...
Steel
Eero Saarinen for Knoll Mid Century Tulip Table
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Eero Saarinen for Knoll mid century Tulip table This dining table measures: 47.25 wide x 47.25 deep x 28.5 inches high, with a chair clearan...
Metal
Gastone Rinaldi dining table 1970
By Gastone Rinaldi
Located in TARBES, FR
Very beautiful chrome table, with its smoked glass top, produced in the 1970s, for Rima. Designated by Gastone Rinaldi. Good general state of conservation for its base. Some traces of chrome oxidation, see photos, The tray does not include scratches. When he takes over the management of RIMA, Gastone Rinaldi designs new chairs that will become references in the world of design. A chair with a rocking back like the DU9 or even a sculptural chair like the DU43 Lounge Chair (1953), the designer's works seem to suit customers of the time perfectly. When in 1956 RIMA started producing sofas with folding mechanisms and metal structures, the best known would be the Saturno Sofa...
Chrome
Iconic Knoll Eero Saarinen Small Round Martini Table with Marble Top
By Knoll
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Timeless tulip style Eero Saarinen designed small side table made by Knoll having gorgeous white and grey Calacatta marble top and classic white elegant columnar base. (Duffy)
Marble, Metal
Rustic Drop Leaf Console Dining Table
Located in Baltimore, MD
A vintage rustic pine drop leaf 6 ft 6" long dining table, with magnificent natural knots in the pine wood, in good condition throughout. Features rectangular top offering multiple e...
Wood
Copacabana by Eero Aarnio for Adelta
By Adelta, Eero Aarnio
Located in Wien, AT
Three Copacabana side tables by Eero Aarnio for Adelta. The tables are unused and have been in storage for the last few decades. The set consists of two white & one red element. They...
Fiberglass
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...
Fiberglass, Lacquer
Sold
H 20.48 in Dm 20.08 in
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...
Marble, Metal
Spage Age Coffee Table in the Style of Eero Aarnio, 1970
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Oirlo, LI
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...
Plastic
Kantarelli Table, Eero Aarnio for Asko, 1967
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Kantarelli table by Eero Aarnio for Asko in striking and rare purple. Excellent condition.
Fiberglass
Sold
H 28.75 in W 33.47 in D 47.25 in
Dining Table & Chairs Set by Eero Aarnio for Upo Furniture, 1970s
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Karis, Nyland
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. ...
Metal
Eero Aarnio Mid Century Wicker Side End Table Ottoman
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Franklin Park, 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 ...
Wicker
Sold
H 18.12 in Dm 28.35 in
Midcentury White Plastic Kantarelli Coffee Table by Eero Aarnio for Asko, 1965
By Eero Aarnio, Asko
Located in MIlano, IT
Midcentury white plastic Kantarelli coffee table by Eero Aarnio for Asko, 1965 Kantarelli coffee table with circular structure entirely in white plastic with a tulip-shaped base. D...
Plastic
Eero Aarnio Orange Coffee Table Kantarelli for Asko, Finland, 1968
By Asko, Eero Aarnio
Located in Haderslev, DK
Iconic Kantarelli coffee table by Eero Aarnio for Asko, Finland, 1968. All original with few blemishes to the edges and the center. Please see close ups. No structural damages and...
Fiberglass
Eero Aarnio Natural Rattan Mushroom Double
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
The mushroom double was designed by Eero Aarnio in 1961. The mushroom double is a multifunctional furniture piece, as it works both as a stoo...
Rattan
Eero Aarnio Natural Elephant Boot Chair
By Eero Aarnio
Located in New York, NY
The elephant boot was designed by Eero Aarnio in 1961 and it is the largest piece of the Rattan collection. The functionality and neutral aesthetic make ...
Rattan
Eero Aarnio 'Kantarelli' Fiberglass Side Table
By Eero Aarnio
Located in Dallas, TX
An early white fiberglass 'Kantarelli' side table by Eero Aarnio.
Fiberglass