Early Production "Domus" Chair by Ilmari Tapiovaara
View Similar Items
Early Production "Domus" Chair by Ilmari Tapiovaara
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 30.25 in (76.84 cm)Width: 22.25 in (56.52 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1947-1951
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Original finish has surface wear as pictured. Upholstery has been cleaned and has overall fading and discoloration as pictured. Structurally excellent. New hardware connects seat to frame, otherwise all original.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU949518274352
Ilmari Tapiovaara
During the mid-20th century, Finnish furniture designer Ilmari Tapiovaara worked with pine, teak and his country’s native birch to create sleek and sculptural chairs, dining room tables and bookcases in the Scandinavian modern style. Tapiovaara’s areas of expertise expanded beyond furniture to include interior architecture, wooden sculptures, film posters and cutlery.
After completing his studies at the Central School of Applied Arts in Helsinki, Tapiovaara embarked on a design career that would envelop his entire life. As a young man, Tapiovaara idolized revered architect and furniture designer Alvar Aalto — whom, with his wife, Aino Aalto, cofounded Artek, the company that would eventually manufacture the majority of Tapiovaara’s creations. The budding designer had one of Aalto’s chairs in his apartment while he was a student. After graduating, he worked as an assistant in an office at Le Corbusier, then as a designer and artistic director at Asko.
By 1951, Tapiovaara and his wife, Annikki, had established their own studio. A few years previous, the pair had designed the now-legendary Domus chair while creating interiors and furnishings for a new student housing complex in Helsinki. Made of molded plywood and easily stackable, the ergonomic Domus chair, with its slender form, featured a modest silhouette — its lightweight structure allowed for easy exporting, and iconic mid-century modern furniture manufacturer Knoll added a low-backed version to its offerings in the early 1950s. (It was marketed as the Finn chair in the United States.)
Tapiovaara went on to design pieces for Pihlgren ja Ritola and Santa and Cole. His experience earned him teaching positions at the Institute of Applied Arts, the Helsinki University of Technology and the Illinois Institute of Technology. While in Chicago for the latter, he worked in the office of Mies van der Rohe.
Tapiovaara centered his passion for design on social responsibility. He wanted his creations to be accessible to everyone, which was the concept behind his democratic approach. In Finland’s postwar era, the goal was exemplary, affordable designs. With this in mind, he created products such as stackable chairs and “knock-down” pieces packed flat, so they shipped efficiently and cost less.
An influential champion of his profession, he spent two decades as a United Nations ambassador, working to improve design’s contribution to society. His lasting, collectible furniture is a testament to the designer’s goal to create humane, radiant and intimate spaces. The United Nations project included traveling to Paraguay to create much-needed furniture. A similar project followed in Mauritius.
Tapiovaara’s success as an industrial and mass producer of everyday furniture was widely recognized and awarded. He received six gold medals for his chairs alone at the Milan Triennials. He also accepted a Good Design award, the Finnish State Design Award, a prize from the Finnish Culture Foundation and the Furniture Prize of the SIO Interior Architects’ Association of Finland.
Find vintage Ilmari Tapiovaara seating, tables and lighting on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Early Production Saarinen Tulip Dining ChairsBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Brooklyn, NYFor your consideration is this authentic, very early production set of Eero Saarinen for Knoll Tulip Chairs, signed and dated 1960. The chairs feature upholstered blue wool blend sea...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Paul Frankl Armchair for John StuartBy Paul Frankl, John Stuart, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in Brooklyn, NYFor your consideration is this rare model 2254 ½ armchair designed by Paul Frankl in all-original, unrestored condition. It features a sculptural solid wood frame with delicate curve...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Jens Risom C-120 ArmchairBy Jens RisomLocated in Brooklyn, NYFor your consideration is this handsome 1950's model C-120 Jens Risom armchair in exceptional all-original condition. The chair features an exposed, solid walnut frame with an elegan...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Fredrik Kayser Model 710 ArmchairBy Vatne Møbler, Fredrik A. KayserLocated in Brooklyn, NYFor your consideration is this rare, out-of-production Model 710 armchair which is similar to Fredrik Keyser's more common Model 711, but features a more upright seating position. Th...Category
Vintage 1960s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Teak
- American Modern Windsor Chairs by Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Brooklyn, NYFor your consideration is this pair of Heywood Wakefield Windsor chairs featuring solid wood construction, original finish with lovely...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Windsor Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
$1,410 Sale Price / set25% Off - Pace Collection Lounge Chair by Richard HersbergerBy Richard Hersberger, Pace CollectionLocated in Brooklyn, NYFor your consideration is this leather and steel lounge chair designed by Richard Hersberger for Pace Collection, dating from th...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Ilmari Tapiovaara, Domus`Armchair , Keravan Puuteollisuus Ltd.By Ilmari Tapiovaara, Keravan Puuteollisuus OyLocated in Helsinki, FIThe iconic Domus lounge chair was originally designed for the student housing project Domus Academica in Helsinki in 1947. This beautiful early version is stamped with the first pro...Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsBirch, Plywood
- Mid 20th Century Domus Chair Designed By Ilmari Tapiovaara, FinlandBy Ilmari Tapiovaara, Keravan Puuteollisuus OyLocated in Turku, FIDomus chair was designed by Finnish interior architect and designer Ilmari Tapiovaara in 1946. The chair was designed for the Domus Academica student housing complex, located in Hels...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsBirch
- Ilmari Tapiovaara Domus ArmchairBy Ilmari Tapiovaara, Keravan Puuteollisuus OyLocated in Highland, INA wonderful 1946 design by Ilmari Tapiovaara, the Domus chair was offered entirely of wood, with an upholstered seat, or an upholstered seat and back. This nice example, has beautifu...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Beech
- Domus Chair by Ilmari Tapiovaara, Keravan Puuteollisuus, 1950sBy Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in Balen, BEEarly version of the Domus chair by Ilmari Tapiovaara, produced by Keravan Puuteollisuus in the 1950s. The Domus Chair was originally designed in 1946 as part of a series of furnitur...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsBirch
- Tapiolina Chairs in Ash Wood by Ilmari Tapiovaara for Fratelli MontinaBy Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in London, EnglandIlmari Tapiovaara (1914-1999) was a renowned Finnish designer and architect known for his significant contributions to the fields of furniture and industrial design. He played a crucial role in shaping the modern design landscape in Finland and gained international recognition for his work. Early in his career, Tapiovaara worked alongside the celebrated Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto. This collaboration greatly influenced his design sensibilities and helped him establish a strong foundation in modernist design principles. Tapiovaara is often associated with the "Finnish Modern" design movement, which aimed to create functional and aesthetically pleasing everyday objects for the Finnish population. He believed that good design should be accessible to everyone. His designs often incorporated natural materials, simplicity, and functionality. Tapiolina chairs in ash wood by Ilmari Tapiovaara for Fratelli Montina...Category
Vintage 1970s Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Modern Italian Set of 4 Leather D Dining Chairs by Ilmari TapiovaaraBy Ilmari Tapiovaara, La Permanente Mobili CantùLocated in Prato, ITMid-Century Modern Italian set of 4 cognac leather and dark beech wood dining chairs by Ilmari Tapiovaara for La Permanente Mobili Cantù. The chairs are in really good vintage condi...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Beech