Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Along with architect Alvar Aalto, the designer Tapio Wirkkala was Finland’s leading contributor to the Scandinavian interpretation of modernism in the mid-20th century. Prolific and innovative, Wirkkala excelled in a wide range of fields, including glass, furniture, porcelain, jewelry and tableware. The hallmark of his talent was an ability to impart a craft aesthetic based on natural forms — leaves, ice, bubbles, birds — to industrially produced designs.
A native of Helsinki, Wirkkala studied at the national School of Applied Arts and took up a career in graphic design. After serving in the Finnish army during World War II, he joined the glassmaking firm Iittala, an association that would continue to the end of his life. Wirkkala learned every aspect of glassmaking in keeping with his belief that an artist-designer should be involved in all stages of production. His best-known works for Iittala are vases and drinking vessels that resemble either carved ice or icicles. In 1956, Wirkkala began a long relationship with the porcelain maker Rosenthal, for whom he designed elegant table pieces, such as the Finlandia coffee service and the biomorphic Pollo vases.
House Beautiful magazine declared Wirkkala’s Leaf platter the “most beautiful object” of 1951. (The acclaim led to his brief employment stint with industrial designer Raymond Loewy in New York.) That platter was one of the first designs Wirkkala made using laminated sheets of plywood sanded to a smooth surface that resembles an abstract leaf. It would go on to become a motif in many Wirkkala furniture pieces — most notably in inlaid coffee tables for Asko — and in a sense these are the works most emblematic of his personal aesthetic.
Wirkkala was a traditionalist in many ways, but he had a modernist’s practical approach, incorporating his leaf-like spirals into simple, functional objects. That is the core attraction of Wirkkala’s designs: They stand out with a striking, sculptural energy yet blend in as part of a warm and comfortable decor.
Find vintage Tapio Wirkkala furniture on 1stDibs.
1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Metal
1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Steel
1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Metal
1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Metal
1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Steel, Chrome, Nickel
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Metal
2010s American Modern Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Leather, Oak
1960s Romanian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Beech
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Bamboo, Rattan
2010s American Modern Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Leather, Oak
1980s American Chinoiserie Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Belgian Black Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Minimalist Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Metal
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Textile, Teak
2010s American Modern Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Leather, Oak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Teak
20th Century American Hollywood Regency Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Wood
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Lambskin, Oak
Mid-19th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Cherry
1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Chrome
1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Seating
Chrome, Steel