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.
$22,400Sale Price|20% Off
Tapio Wirkkala Coffee Table
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Designed for Asko, Finland in 1958. These tables are highly sought after and regarded as Tapio Wirkkala's most important production furniture. Made from hand-sculpted solid el...
Elm
Tapio Wirkkala Inlaid Coffee Table for Asko Danish Modern
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Atlanta, GA
Elegant Inlaid Danish Modern Coffee Table, designed by Tapio Wirkkala, Finland, circa 1960s. Signed with brand underneath. Retains warm original patina.
Brass
Contemporary Nicole Coffee Table in Walnut and Brass
By Stuart Scott
Located in Trowbridge, Wiltshire
This new release is a fresh take on our signature piece, the Nicole Side Table. The Nicole Coffee Table is expertly lathe turned from thick sections of solid seasoned timber. An eleg...
Walnut
$4,491
H 21.86 in W 42.72 in D 17.33 in
Mid-Century Modern Vintage Coffee Table Attributed to Paolo Buffa, Italy 1940s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid Century Modern vintage coffee table design attributed to Paolo Buffa circa 1940 from solid mahogany and veneered mahogany clear lacquered. A classic and elegant coffee table with...
Mahogany
Coffee table Made In Teak & Oak, Danish design From 1960
Located in Lejre, DK
This coffee table, crafted from teak and oak, embodies the essence of Danish design from the 1960s. With its blend of natural materials and minimalist aesthetic, it represents the ti...
Teak
$5,318 / item
H 15.75 in W 43.31 in D 19.69 in
Contemporary Resin Coffee Table, Yellow Spine Table, by Erik Olovsson
By Studio Erik Olovsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Spine table is a series of tables consisting of two components - a thin aluminium sheet captured in a cast resin surface. The series is a result of many ma...
Aluminum
$10,282 / set
H 21.07 in W 21.46 in D 21.46 in
Modern Vintage Three Coffee Tables Side Tables Sofa Tables Maison Jansen 1970s
By Maison Jansen
Located in Vienna, AT
Three modern Hollywood Regency style vintage coffee tables side tables or sofa tables Maison Jansen 1970s France. Finest quality table...
Brass, Steel
Rare Tapio Wirkkala 'Leaf' Coffee Table Asko Finland 1950s
By Asko, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
A rare coffee table designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Asko Finland 1950's African Padouk veneered top with two leaf pattern inlays of laminated Birch, Haz...
Brass, Nickel
Swedish Grace Coffee Table, 1930s
Located in Karlstad, SE
Elegant Swedish grace / Art Deco coffee table, produced in Sweden, 1930s. This table features a thick circular table top in elm root veneer. The table top is supported by four richl...
Elm
$2,954
H 23.23 in W 35.44 in D 22.45 in
Swedish Modern Coffee Table in Birch, Glass and Rattan by Bodafors, 1940s
By Bodafors
Located in Karlstad, SE
Beautiful coffee or side table made of birch, rattan and glass by Bodafors, Sweden. The table consists of the original glass tabletop with etched ornaments, supported by a birch fra...
Glass, Rattan, Birch
$1,063
H 17.72 in W 33.47 in D 25.4 in
Solid Oak Coffee Table or Sidetable by FDB Mobler Model No.240, 1950's Denmark
By FDB Møbler
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Beautiful solid Oak wooden FDB table with Danish furnituremakers mark and with the model number 240. This shaker style coffee table or side...
Oak
Tapio Wirkkala for Asko Square "Rhythmic" Coffee Table, 1950s
By Tapio Wirkkala, Asko
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Tapio Wirkkala Asko Finland birch and exotic wood veneer coffee table. Featuring a squared multi layered wood surface, supported by four chrome-plated steel legs and brass capped fee...
Brass, Steel
$2,895Sale Price|30% Off
H 15.75 in W 43.31 in D 19.69 in
Contemporary Resin Coffee Table, Yellow Spine Table, Erik Olovsson
By Erik Olovsson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Spine table is a series of tables consisting of two components - a thin aluminium sheet captured in a cast resin surface. The series is a result of many ma...
Aluminum
Tapio Wirkkala Coffee Table by Asko in Finland
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare coffee table designed by Tapio Wirkkala. Produced by Asko in Finland. Rosewood, steel, brass and “Mussel” and “Leaf” veneer inlay.
Brass, Steel