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Rare 1930s Alvar Aalto for Stylclair in Plywood and Braided Straw

Name: Rare 1930s Alvar Aalto for Stylclair in Plywood and Braided Straw
Brand: Alvar Aalto
Price: 25484.46 AUD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (175 reviews)

$16,400

£12,450.60

€14,240.83

CA$22,913.18

A$25,484.46

CHF 13,307.19

MX$310,118.72

NOK 169,953.13

SEK 159,386.06

DKK 106,284.78

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About the Item

Alvar Aalto for Stylclair, lounge chair, beech plywood, braided straw, France, 1930s We present a rare lounge chair designed by Alvar Aalto, produced by Stylclair under the license from Wohnbedarf. Aalto's furniture first appeared in France around 1933 in Lyon, following the establishment of Stylclair by Marcel Michaud and C.L. Zenone, which set the stage for Aalto's innovative designs to enter the French market. Before Artek's founding in late 1935, Aalto's bentwood furniture gained traction across Europe, with key distribution hubs in London and Zurich, Finmar and Wohnbedarf respectively. Art historian Sigfried Giedion played a significant role in expanding Aalto's reach internationally. Giedion's move to France solidified his connection with Stylclair situated in Lyon, a retailer and gallery focusing on modern furniture and contemporary art. Through a partnership with Wohnbedarf, Stylclair owned the exclusive rights to sell Aalto's wooden furniture in France. By March 1934, Stylclair had opened a store in Paris at 43 Rue de la Bourse, offering a curated selection of Aalto and Breuer furniture, firmly establishing Aalto's presence in the French market. Sigfried Giedion, along with architect Werner Max Moser and businessman Rudolf Graber, established Zentralstelle für zeitgemässen Wohnbedarf (now Wohnbedarf AG) in 1931, setting a new standard for Swiss furnishings stores by designing their own modern furniture. This pioneering store in Zurich was not just a place to buy furniture; it was a reflection of a new lifestyle, catering to changing tastes and the growing desire for modernity. This chair showcases the iconic bent plywood design of the armchair model 42, also known as the "Small Paimio," originally created in 1932. What sets this piece apart is its meticulously braided straw upholstery, which enhances its natural aesthetic and harmonizes beautifully with the wooden frame's organic lines. Archival research has not identified who specifically added this distinctive feature, yet it was a common practice for Wohnbedarf to be involved in tailoring designs to local tastes in order to stay competitive and relevant. Aino Marsio-Aalto, Alvar Aalto's wife and collaborator, played a crucial role in shaping the product line for Artek. Her "travel diary" provides insights into her inspirations, often referencing textiles and patterns from various cultures. While visiting Stylclair's Paris gallery, she observed a range of materials that would later influence Artek's products, such as cotton zebra fabric from Lyon, coconut matting, and room dividers made of straw. These notes reveal how the French market and local trends might have impacted Aalto's designs. It seems plausible that Aalto's designs may have been adapted by Stylclair (or Wohnbedarf) to align with the French taste of that time. The chair under consideration exudes a more rustic charm, and considering the warmer days of summer, the incorporation of the braided element adds a practical touch. The chair has been restored to the finest condition achievable for a piece of its age. However, it is important to note that the frame has limited load-bearing capacity. For further details, we encourage you to reach out to our team of design specialists.

Creator:

Alvar Aalto (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 25.01 in (63.5 cm)Width: 24.81 in (63 cm)Depth: 32.49 in (82.5 cm)Seat Height: 13.39 in (34 cm)

Style:

Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Beech,Plywood,Straw

Place of Origin:

France

Period:

1930-1939

Date of Manufacture:

1930s

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Every item Morentz offers is checked by our team of 30 craftspeople in our in-house workshop. Special restoration or reupholstery requests can be done. Check ‘About the item’ or ask our design specialists for detailed information on the condition.

Seller Location:

Waalwijk, NL

Reference Number:

Seller: 501141501stDibs: LU933140462442

Shop All Alvar Aalto

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.

Original 1930's Alvar Aalto Model 402 lounge chair with reupholstered off-white cream fabric. One of Aalto's notable creations is the "Model 402 Armchair...

Category

Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Birch

Scandinavian Modern Alvar Aalto lounge chair model 402, 1950's

$6,949

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