Alvar Aalto Lounge from the Paimio Santorium, France circa 1930
View Similar Items
Alvar Aalto Lounge from the Paimio Santorium, France circa 1930
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Width: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)Depth: 67.5 in (171.45 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Culver City, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: MOD5921stDibs: LU878925332721
Alvar Aalto
An architect and designer, Alvar Aalto deserves an immense share of the credit for bringing Scandinavian modernism to a prominent place in the global arena. In both his buildings and in his vintage furniture — which ranges from chairs, tables and lighting to table- and glassware — Aalto’s sensitivity to the natural world and to organic forms and materials tempered the hardness of rationalist design.
Relatively few Aalto buildings exist outside Finland. (Just four exist in the United States, and only one — the sinuous 1945 Baker House dormitory at M.I.T. — is easily visited.) International attention came to Aalto, whose surname translates to English as “wave,” primarily through his furnishings.
Instead of the tubular metal framing favored by the Bauhaus designers and Le Corbusier, Aalto insisted on wood. His aesthetic is best represented by the Paimio armchair, developed in 1930 as part of his overall design of a Finnish tuberculosis sanatorium. Comfortable, yet light enough to be easily moved by patients, the chair’s frame is composed of two laminated birch loops; the seat and back are formed from a single sheet of plywood that scrolls under at the headrest and beneath the knees, creating a sort of pillow effect. Aalto’s use of plywood had enormous influence on Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen, Marcel Breuer and others who later came to the material.
Concerned with keeping up standards of quality in the production of his designs, Aalto formed the still-extant company Artek in 1935, along with his wife, Aino Aalto, whose glass designs were made by the firm. In the latter medium, in 1936 the Aaltos together created the iconic, undulating Savoy vase, so-called for the luxe Helsinki restaurant for which the piece was designed.
Artek also produced Aalto pendants and other lighting designs, many of which — such as the Angel’s Wing floor lamp and the Beehive pendant — incorporate a signature Aalto detail: shades made of concentric enameled-metal rings graduated down in diameter. The effect of the technique is essential Alvar Aalto: at once precise, simple, and somehow poetic.
Find a collection of vintage Alvar Aalto stools, vases, dining tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Chaise in Mohair VelvetBy Walter KnollLocated in Culver City, CAGermany circa 1970 Walter Knoll chaise lounge with chrome legs and newly upholstered in teddy mohair by Rosemary Hallgarten. 26"w x 62"d x 25"h x 19"seatCategory
Vintage 1970s German Chaise Longues
MaterialsChrome
$5,800 - Foundry Crucibles, France Circa 1930Located in Culver City, CAFoundry Crucibles France Circa 1930 21.5”dia x 30.25”h / 21”dia x 32”h Ref. GARD684 $ 2,800 ea ( 2 avail )Category
20th Century French Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsCeramic
$2,800 / item - Provencal Lounge Chair, France circa 1900Located in Culver City, CAProvencal Lounge Chair France circa 1900 With wicker seat and backrest. 26”w x 36”d x 37.25”h x 16”seatCategory
20th Century French Lounge Chairs
MaterialsTwine, Wood
- Art Deco Armchairs, France circa 1930Located in Culver City, CAArt Deco Armchairs France circa 1930 Reupholstered in neutral linen with green piping. Measures 29"w x 35”d x 39”h x 16”seatCategory
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsLinen, Upholstery
$5,200 / set - Gras Table Lamp, France, circa 1930Located in Culver City, CAGras table lamp France circa 1930 Articulating table lamp Measures: 12.75” W x 6.75” D x 20” H.Category
20th Century French Table Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Iron
- Lounge Chair by Audoux & Minet, France circa 1950Located in Culver City, CALounge Chair by Audoux & Minet France Circa 1950 Adrien Audoux & Frida Minet lounge chair from France, 1950s. Curved bentwood arms with dark stain on wood, with original rope seat....Category
20th Century French Armchairs
MaterialsRope, Wood
- Alvar Aalto, Paimio 41 Lounge chair, ArtekBy Artek, Alvar Aalto, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas OyLocated in Helsinki, FIThe famous Paimio lounge chair model 41, designed by Alvar Aalto for the Paimion Parantola. Manufactured by Artek in the 1960s, stamped "Artek, Aal...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBirch, Plywood
- Alvar Aalto Paimio Chair 41By Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning Paimio armchair 41 by Alvar Alto for Artek, in natural birch wood with black bentwood seat with venting slots. The laminated birch frame is...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBirch
- Bentwood Wool Upholstery Chaise Lounge Chair by Alvar Aalto for ArtekBy Bruno Mathsson, Alvar AaltoLocated in Rockaway, NJMid-Century Modern bentwood chaise lounge in orange wool upholstery. In the style of Bruno Mathsson.Category
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsWool, Bentwood
- Alvar Aalto, a Pair of Lounge Chairs, Model 'RB 511' for Artek, 1960sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Odense, DKA refined pair of lounge chairs, legs made in solid birch and fabric upholstered in a turquoise alcantara. Designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek in Finland. Model "RB 511". This rare col...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Velvet, Birch
- Alvar Aalto, Padded Paimio 44 Lounge chair, Artek 1950sBy Artek, Alvar Aalto, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas OyLocated in Helsinki, FIThe famous Paimio lounge chair model 41, designed by Alvar Aalto for the Paimio Sanitarium. Manufactured by Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Oy in t...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair Alvar Aalto Paimio 41 Armchairs ChairsBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in New York, NYPair of Alvar Aalto "Paimio 41" armchairs / lounge chairs. The chairs are lacquered birch and bentwood.Category
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBirch, Bentwood
$21,000 / set
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Very Modern Love Story of Mid-Century Design Duo Alvar and Aino Aalto
A power couple before the term existed, the influential pair made work that still resonates today.
What Makes Scandinavian Modernism and Nordic Design So Irresistible?
Andrew Duncanson, founder of the Stockholm- and London-based gallery Modernity, weighs in on the masters of mid-century furniture and decorative arts.