Pair of Alvar Aalto Armchairs
View Similar Items
Pair of Alvar Aalto Armchairs
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1930
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Culver City, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: MOD5341stDibs: LU878921490702
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.
- Pair of Rattan Armchairs, France circa 1960Located in Culver City, CAPair of Rattan Armchairs France circa 1960 In the style of Gabrielle Crespim newly upholstered in green linen by Pierre Frey. Measures 26.25”w x 26”d x 32”h x 16”seatCategory
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLinen, Upholstery, Rattan
Sold$2,200 / set - Bobbin Armchairs, England, circa 1880Located in Culver City, CABobbin Armchairs England circa 1880 Ebonised frame with red velvet armrests and original rush seats. 25”w x 20”d x 33.75”h x 14”seat.Category
Antique 19th Century English Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
Sold$3,200 / set - Leather Wingback Armchair, England, 1747Located in Culver City, CALeather Wingback Armchair England, 1747 Wingback armchair with frame composed of elm and leather cushions. Brass rivets on surround of fabric, intricately carved balusters, and dat...Category
Antique 18th Century English Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Regency Armchairs, England circa 1830Located in Culver City, CARegency Armchairs England circa 1830 Painted gilt armchairs with detailed carving, original upholstery. 24"w x 31”d x 35”h x 16”seatCategory
Antique 19th Century English Armchairs
MaterialsGiltwood
$4,200 / set - Indian Quilt Armchair circa 1890Located in Culver City, CAIndian Quilt Armchair England circa 1890 Open antique frame recently upholstered in vintage Indian quilt, carved mahogany arms and legs, with original casters. 29”w x 33”d x 34.5”h x...Category
Antique 1890s English Victorian Armchairs
MaterialsMahogany
Sold$5,200 - Bobbin Armchair, England circa 1890Located in Culver City, CABobbin Armchair England circa 1890 Newly upholstered seat and arms in herringbone fabric by De La Cuona, composed of wool and linen. 27"w x 32”d x 37.5”h x 16”seatCategory
Antique 19th Century English Armchairs
MaterialsWool, Linen, Wood
- Armchair by Alvar AaltoBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Sagaponack, NYA laminated birch armchair with a black linen webbed seat and cane wrapped arms.Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBirch
$2,600 / item - Alvar Aalto 31 ArmchairBy Alvar AaltoLocated in London, EnglandAlvar Aalto 31 armchair.Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood
$14,530 - Pair Alvar Aalto Paimio 41 Armchairs ChairsBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated 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
Sold$21,000 - Pair of Alvar Aalto Armchair 45, Produced by Artek, 1970sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SEProduced during the 1970s by Artek, Finland. Good vintage condition with signs of patina and usage.Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBirch, Cane
- Alvar Aalto Pair of Artek Cantilever Armchairs Model 401, 1950sBy Alvar Aalto, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIA beautiful pair of mid-century Alvar Aalto cantilever 'spring' chairs model 401. This chair is similar to the iconic one known as Pikkupaimio (small paimio) but with a higher back a...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Alvar Aalto Pair of Artek Cantilever Armchairs Model 402, 1950sBy Alvar Aalto, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIA beautiful pair of mid-century Alvar Aalto cantilever 'spring' chairs model 402, also known as Pikkupaimio (small paimio) associated with the legendary Paimio Sanatorium designed by Aalto. The chairs are lightweight and can be situated practically in any room or interior, and are easily moved around due to their lightness, both in weight and in appearance. The chairs have beautiful patina and are reupholstered in black premium fabric. Both chairs are stamped "Artek Aalto design Made in Finland...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
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.