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.
Rare Tapio Wirkkala Reindeer Antlers Coffee Table Model 9020, Elm, Asko 1950s
By Tapio Wirkkala, Asko
Located in Helsinki, FI
An exceedingly rare Tapio Wirkkala coffee table model 9020 aka Reindeer Antlers due inspiration behind the design taken from Reindeers native to Lapland where Tapio Wirkkala spent mu...
Glass, Elm
A Rare Tapio Wirkkala Rhythmic Veneer Coffee Table Model 9018, Asko 1950s
By Tapio Wirkkala, Asko
Located in Helsinki, FI
A rare version of the Tapio Wirkkala rhythmic veneer coffee table model 9018, aka "Angel Wings" due to the symmetric wong resembling rhythmic lines on top. The legs are detachable an...
Aluminum
$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
Rare Tapio Wirkkala Coffee Table for Asko
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Toronto, Ontario
A great example of Tapio Wirkkala's iconic coffee table for Asko Finland. This piece has two leaf motif decorations on the tabletop. Branded Asko.
Metal
Tapio Wirkkala Rhytmic Veneer Wall Relief Model 9018, Asko 1950s
By Tapio Wirkkala, Asko
Located in Helsinki, FI
A rare version of the Tapio Wirkkala rhythmic veneer coffee table turned into wall hanging. The model is 9018, and aka Angel Wings due to the symmetric wing resembling rhytmic lines ...
Birch
$5,725Sale Price|30% Off
Wonderful Rythmic Veneer Coffee Table by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Munich, DE
Rarest variation of this table. Very rare size ands unusual wood legs. Branded Asko stamp.
Wood
Exotic Wood Coffee Table by Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Toronto, Ontario
A very exciting coffee table in rare woods by Tapio Wirkkala for Asko, circa 1958. This example has a taller base than most which is very well suited for the display of small obje...
Metal
Palafitte Coffee Table, in canaletto walnut, by DebonaDemeo for Medulum
By Debonademeo
Located in Meolo, Venezia
The Palafitte collection, inspired by Venice, the floating city, takes its cue from the urban system of wooden poles submerged in water, supporting the city’s structures. This design...
Walnut, Wood
Italian Brass Swan Coffee Table, 1950s
Located in Antwerp, BE
A chic and elegant 1950s Italian brass swan coffee table with swan head legs and original glass. Well-made and heavy. Dimensions base: Wid...
Metal, Brass, Bronze
Bakelite, Brass and Iron 1950s Side Tables
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Chic set of three low tables with tubular iron bases, laquered in black paint and ending in brass sabots. The tabletops are black bakelite, with brass surrounds. Heavy, very nice ...
Brass, Iron
$6,900
H 23.75 in W 31.5 in D 31.5 in
Vintage Mahogany Coffee Table by Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn, 1950s
By Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A square, vintage Mid-Century modern Swedish coffee table made of hand crafted polished Mahogany, designed by Josef Frank and produced by Svenskt Tenn in good condition. The Scandina...
Metal, Brass
$2,337Sale Price|41% Off
H 17.13 in W 23.82 in D 47.64 in
Very Rare Maison Charles Directoire Coffee Table
By Maison Charles
Located in Munich, DE
Very rare pieces of furniture in very good condition. Steel and brass. we can offer a few different pieces of the directoire range.
Metal
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
Hans J. Wegner for PP Møbler Coffee Table, solid oak.
By Andreas Tuck, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Hans J. Wegner coffee table, solid soap treated oak Made by PP Møbler.
Oak
Danish Rosewood Coffee Table by Severin Hansen Jr., 1960
By Severin Hansen Jr., Nils Thorsson
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century Modern Danish low sofa table or coffee table in restored Rosewood, in good condition. Designed by Severin Hansen Jr. with a lateral tile insert and blue tile surround by Nils Thorsson, Royal Copenhagen. Wear consistent with age and use, circa 1960, Denmark, Scandinavia. Nils Johan Thorvald Thorsson was a Swedish designer and ceramic artist born in 1898, in Esloev, Sweden and passed away in 1975. At the age of thirteen, Thorsson finished his apprenticeship at the Alumina Factory in Copenhagen, after that he went to study at the Royal Danish Academy. Later on, Thorsson was the artistic director of Alumina which he held for forty-one years where he lead a team of well-known, talented designers which included Bethe Breyen, Kari Christensen, as well as others. Severin Hansen was born in 1897 Denmark and passed away in 1964 Denmark...
Rosewood, Ceramic
$4,101 / item
H 11.82 in W 37.01 in D 37.01 in
“Fit Table” Travertine Marble Coffee Table by Aparentment
By Josep Vila Capdevila
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The Fit Coffee Table is a sculptural centerpiece crafted from solid travertine. Composed of five precisely cut stone elements, its design explores balance, proportion, and structural...
Marble, Travertine
Large Iron & Stone Coffee Table - France, 1950s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Unusually wide and long coffee table with an iron and cast-iron base, with traces of beige paint. Comblanchien (Bourgogne) stone top.
Ceramic Coffee Table
By Juliette Belarti
Located in Antwerp, BE
Ceramic abstract 1950s coffee table. Signed Belarti. The table has a black metal base and the top of the table has ceramic tiles with a beautiful abstract pattern, characteristic of...
Metal
$5,842
H 17.72 in W 59.06 in D 25.2 in
Large French Mid Century Sculptural Wooden Brutalist Root Table in Elm, 1950s
Located in Stockholm, SE
A rare massive French mid century sculptural and brutalistic wooden root table in dark stained elm produced in France, 1950s. In good original condition. A statement piece that is cl...
Elm
Laminated Plywood and Iron Low Table by Tapio Wirkkala
By Asko, Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Dronten, NL
Coffee table, limited edition of 60 pieces, by Tapio Wirkkala for Asko. Marked with engraved bronze plaque: Tapio Wirkkala, Asko, made in Finland, 19/60.
Steel