Alvar Aalto Writing Table Model K81 in Birch, Artek 1940s

About the Item

A rare Mid-Century Modern writing desk in full birch model K81 manufactured by Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas for Artek. The minimalist design of the table already designed in the 1930s makes it appealing for a large scale of modern interiors rangining from the most minimalist to organic or eclectic vibes. The table was painted at one point, we removed the paint, and refinished the surface with the natural honey tone highlighting the natural lines and surface of the wood. The table is stamped "Reunasäätiö" and was part of their office. It was established in 1946. A beautiful piece with a super nice vintage patina. Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is a world famous architect and designer. He was well known for designing his own line of furniture and lighting for the numerous buildings that he designed worldwide. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles, glassware, sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, seeing painting and sculpture as branches of a tree that stem from architecture. Aalto's career from the 1920s-1970s is reflected in the styles of his work, ranging from Classicism to Modernism and to an organic style from the 1940s onwards. Aalto and his wife Aino were famous for not only designing the buildings, but the interior surfaces, furniture, lamps and even the glassware for those buildings. Aalto's furniture designs are Scandinavian Modernism at its best, especially his technical innovations on the bent plywood furniture, which in turn had a great impact on Mid-Century Modernist furniture. Aalto's works are highly sought after and some fetch record prices in auctions and the design world. Of course his works are also widely collected and can be found in numerous private collections and famous museums.

Creator:
Artek (Retailer),Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy (Manufacturer),Alvar Aalto (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 26.97 in (68.5 cm)Width: 39.38 in (100 cm)Depth: 20.48 in (52 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Birch
Place of Origin:
Finland
Period:
1940-1949
Date of Manufacture:
1940s
Condition:
Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. The overall impression is good. The table has been restored by removing none original paint and refinishing the surface.
Seller Location:
Helsinki, FI
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU6346243174832

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.

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.