Alvar Aalto Design Classic Sofa No 36 for Wohnbedarf Basel
View Similar Items
Alvar Aalto Design Classic Sofa No 36 for Wohnbedarf Basel
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer),Wohnbedarf (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.2 in (64 cm)Width: 79.93 in (203 cm)Depth: 33.08 in (84 cm)Seat Height: 14.57 in (37 cm)
- Style:Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. Our upholsterer has replaced some springs, to avoid that certain areas are softer than others.
- Seller Location:Renens, CH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5599222827582
Alvar Aalto
An architect and designer, Alvar Aalto deserves an immense share of the credit for bringing Scandinavian modernism and Nordic design to a prominent place in the global arena. In both his buildings and his vintage furniture — which ranges from chairs, stools, 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 with his wife, Aino Aalto, in 1930 as part of the overall design of a Finnish tuberculosis sanatorium.
Comfortable, yet light enough to be easily moved by patients, the Paimio 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 the headrest and beneath the knees, creating a sort of pillow effect. Aalto’s use of plywood had an 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 Aino, 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.
- Finnish Design Classic Lounge Chair No 401 by Alvar Aalto, 1930sBy Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Alvar AaltoLocated in Renens, CHEarly edition of the 401 cantilever lounge chair designed by Alvar Aalto and produced by Huonekalu Ja Rakennustyötehdas (Turku, Finland) during the late 1930s. Our version was re-u...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Birch
- Completely Restored Florence Knoll 25 BC Three-Seat Sofa by Wohnbedarf, 1950sBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Renens, CHThree-seat sofa designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, and produced under license by Wohnbedarf AG, in the early 1950s. The sofa still has the original Wohnbedarf metal shield on the underside, which is in many cases lost after almost 70 years of age. The “25 BC...Category
Vintage 1950s European Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool
- Danish Design Classsic GE 290 Three Seater Sofa by Hans Wegner for GETAMA, 1960sBy Hans J. Wegner, GETAMALocated in Renens, CHOne of the most recognized designs by Hans Wegner and probably the whole danish mid-century modern period is the GE 290 sofa and arm chair produced by Getama....Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Oak
$4,350 Sale Price20% Off - Danish Design Classsic GE 290 Three Seater Sofa by Hans Wegner for GETAMA, 1960sBy Hans J. Wegner, GETAMALocated in Renens, CHOne of the most recognized designs by Hans Wegner and probably the whole danish mid-century modern period is the GE 290 sofa and arm chair produced by Getama. The 290 series is recog...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Oak
- Bambole Sofas by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, 1980sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Renens, CHIconic set of two seater sofas by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, originating from the 1980s. We have selected Musco, a dark blue mohair from De Ploeg, the Netherlands: Mohair has ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
$9,448 / item - Brazilian Design Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler Costela Sofa, 1960sBy Carlo Hauner and Martin EislerLocated in Renens, CHThe Costela (Rib) chairs and sofas by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler became an instant success after their introduction in the Brazilian market, and it wasn’t for long that productio...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
$11,426 Sale Price20% Off
- Rare Sofa by Alvar AaltoBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Milan, ITRare sofa by Alvar Aalto. Finland, 1956. Provenance: Kansanela¨kelaitos (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland). Example provided with original label....Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
$55,594 - Werner Max Moser Sofa for Wohnbedarf, Switzerland, 1930sBy Werner Max Moser, WohnbedarfLocated in Milan, ITRare Architect Werner Max Moser sofa for Wohnbedarf, Switzerland, 1930s.Category
Vintage 1930s Swiss Bauhaus Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Alvar Aalto Sofa BedLocated in Argelato, BOAlvar Aalto Daybed with adjustable seat and back until you get a single bed. It´s made with tubular chromed steel and the armrests are made with wood. Th...Category
Vintage 1940s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
$3,955 Sale Price26% Off - Alvar Aalto 36 ChairBy O.Y.Huonekalu, Alvar AaltoLocated in Epperstone, NottinghamshireEarly Alvar Aalto 36/401 chair designed in 1933 and made by O.y. Huonekalu – Ja Rakennustyotehdas AB, Turku, Finland. Beautiful example of this special chair...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
$4,599 - Alvar Aalto Early ‘Mod. 31′ Armchair, Finland 1930sBy Alvar Aalto, WohnbedarfLocated in Rotterdam, NLAlvar Aalto ‘Mod. 31' Armchair, Finland 1930s. Early edition manufactured by O.y. Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas A.b. Turku and Supplied by the famous Wohnbedarf, Zürich; marked with...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsPlywood
- Alvar Aalto console, model for ArkekBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Skokie, ILAlvar Aalto console, model 153B prototype for Arkek, Finland, circa 1980sCategory
Vintage 1980s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Benches
MaterialsBirch
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.