"Beehive" Ceiling Lamp Model A331 by Alvar Aalto, Valaisinpaja OY, Finland 1960s
View Similar Items
"Beehive" Ceiling Lamp Model A331 by Alvar Aalto, Valaisinpaja OY, Finland 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Valaisinpaja Oy (Maker),Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)Diameter: 13 in (33 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Hägersten, SE
- Reference Number:Seller: aalto beehive1stDibs: LU2121318978022
Beehive Pendant Light
Nicknamed “Beehive” for its resemblance to a bee’s nest, the Pendant Light A331 is among the most famous designs from revered Finnish architect and furniture maker Alvar Aalto (1898–1976).
In 1951, Aalto won a competition to design the main campus of a research university in Jyväskylä, where he had spent much of his childhood. Aalto also operated his studio in the small Finnish town from 1923 to 1933, when he and his first wife, Aino, relocated to Helsinki. In designing eight buildings for the University of Jyväskylä, Aalto planned a campus that echoed the layout of a Greek acropolis — Jyväskylä residents referred to their town as the “Athens of Finland” for its education focus, and the architect took this comparison to heart, prioritizing open-air civic space and other innovations. And just as he and Aino designed the Paimio armchair and all other furnishings for their famed tuberculosis sanatorium project — a masterpiece of functionalism — Aalto also specified furniture and interiors for his structures in Jyväskylä. The Beehive pendant was introduced in 1953 as part of the commission.
The Beehive pendant light’s elegant spherical shape is framed by five bands of handspun aluminum. But it’s the perforated steel rings underneath this multipart “shade” that comprise the unsung hero of the pendant — they provide for a diffusion of light that gives the Beehive a soft glow. The fixture is still manufactured by Artek, the company Alvar and Aino helped cofound in 1935. Within its 13-inch diameter, the Beehive pendant light encompasses many of Alvar Aalto’s most recognizable calling cards: reference to nature, sculptural form, thoughtful mechanics and overall warmth.
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.
- Early model 83 birch dining table by Alvar Aalto, Finland, 1930sBy Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Alvar AaltoLocated in Hägersten, SEEarly example of the model 83 dining table designed by Alvar Aalto. Produced in Turku, Finland by Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas during the 1930s. Signed with stamp Aalto design Made...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBirch
- "Kuli" Copper Ceiling Lamp by Svea Winkler for Orno, Finland, 1960sBy Orno Oy, Svea WinklerLocated in Hägersten, SECeiling light designed by Svea Winkler. Produced in Finland by Orno. Copper metal shade and acrylic diffuser. Good vintage condition with small signs of age related wear and patina. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCopper
- ceiling lamp model T-6H by Alf Svensson, Bergboms, Sweden, 1950sBy Bergboms, Alf SvenssonLocated in Hägersten, SECeiling lamp model T-6H designed by Alf Svensson. Produced in Sweden by Bergboms during the 1950s. Large lamp shade in blue and white lacquered aluminum with brass details and original opal glass shade. Ceiling cup and counter weight in grey lacquered metal and beech wood. The lamp can be seamlessly heightened or lowered by pulling the counterweight up or down. The top wheel have a restoration (pictured). Good vintage condition with original lacquer. Age related wear and patina. The glass shade has slight hair needle...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum, Brass, Metal
- Wall shelf in birch by Alvar Aalto, Artek Hedemora, Sweden 1946-1956By Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Hägersten, SEWall shelf designed by Alvar Aalto. Produced by Svenska Artek in Hedemora, Sweden. Made between 1946-1956. Mad from solid and laminated birch throughout. Beautiful honey toned color ...Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Shelves
MaterialsBirch
- "Divan-2" Pendant Lamp by Simon P. Henningsen for Lyfa, Denmark, 1960sBy Simon Poul Henningsen, LyfaLocated in Hägersten, SE"Divan-2" ceiling light designed by Simon P. Henningsen. Originally designed in 1962 for the Divan-2 restaurant at Tivoli in Copenhagen. Chromed steel with polychrome lacquered insid...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Pair of Brass Wall Lamps by Hans-Agne Jakobsson, Sweden, 1960sBy Hans-Agne JakobssonLocated in Hägersten, SEPair of wall lamps designed by Hans-Agne Jakobsson. Produced by Hans-Agne Jakobsson AB in Sweden, during the 1960s-1970s. Made from solid brass with four conical opaline glass shades...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Alvar Aalto Ceiling light Model B 335 Designed for Valaisinpaja Oy, FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SECeiling light model B 335 designed by Alvar Aalto for Valaisinpaja Oy. The lamp creates a warm, diffuse light when switched on, a result of the ingenious design that features several rows of perforated steel rings. The bottom ring is pierced powder coated aluminum shade Included in page 494 from “1000 Lights 1878 to 1959” (vol.1) from Taschen vintage retro Scandinavian...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Ceiling Light Model A 335 Designed by Alvar Aalto for Valaisinpaja Oy, FinlandBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SECeiling light model A 335 designed by Alvar Aalto for Valaisinpaja Oy, Finland. 1952. Brass and lacquered metal. Measurements: Height of the shade: 40 cm/ 15 3/4'' Total height: 65...Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Artek Pendant Light A331 “Beehive“ by Alvar AaltoBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Centreville, VAThe A331, nicknamed “Beehive,” is one of Alvar Aalto’s most popular lighting designs. Suitable for homes and public spaces alike, “Beehive” creates a warm, diffuse light when switche...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Alvar Aalto Ceiling Pendant model. A622, Valaisinpaja 1970sBy Alvar Aalto, Valaisinpaja OyLocated in Helsinki, FIAn iconic ceiling pendant model A622, designed by Alvar Aalto in the 1950s, and manufactured by Valaisinpaja Oy in Finland in the 1970s. In line with all Aalto furniture and lighting...Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Alvar Aalto A335B Pendant, Valaisinpaja Oy, 1952By Alvar Aalto, Valaisinpaja OyLocated in Los Angeles, CAWonderful pendant light, model A335 B by Alvar Aalto, in brass and white enameled metal, with original metal canopy and white bottom rim, early example by...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- alvar aalto pendant lamp A337 Valaisinpaja OyBy Alvar AaltoLocated in 東御市, JPalvar aalto design A337. It often called Flying Saucer. Very warm light.Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum
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.