Alvar Aalto X602 Stool for Artek, circa 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer),Artek (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)Width: 16.93 in (43 cm)Depth: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Barcelona, ES
- Reference Number:
Alvar Aalto
An architect and designer, Alvar Aalto deserves an immense share of the credit for bringing Scandinavian modernism to a prominent place in the global arena. In both his buildings and in his vintage furniture — which ranges from chairs, 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 in 1930 as part of his overall design of a Finnish tuberculosis sanatorium. Comfortable, yet light enough to be easily moved by patients, the 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 at the headrest and beneath the knees, creating a sort of pillow effect. Aalto’s use of plywood had 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 his wife, Aino Aalto, 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Barcelona, Spain
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Alvar Aalto Stool for Artek, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaStool designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured by Artek, (Finland) Leather top, wood legs and structure. In great original condition, with minor wear consistent with age an...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Alvar Aalto Stool in Leather for Artek, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaStool designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured by Artek (Finland). New leather top, wood legs and structure. In great original condition, with minor wear consistent wit...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Alvar Aalto Center Table for Artek, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaDining table designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured by Artek (Finland). Wood legs and structure. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, prese...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsWood
- Alvar Aalto Style Mid-Century Modern Wood Stool, circa 1960Located in Barcelona, BarcelonaAlvar Aalto Style Mid-Century Modern wood stool. In original condition with minor wear consistent of age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsWood
- Alvar Aalto Golden Bell Pendant Lamp, circa 1950By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaPendant lamp designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1935 for the Savoy restaurant in Helsinki. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful p...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern More Lighting
MaterialsBrass
- Alvar Aalto Glass Bowl Savoy, circa 1960By Alvar AaltoLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaGlass designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured in Finland. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use in the structure some broken little piece o...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGlass
- Alvar Aalto “X602” Stool for Artek, Finland 1960By Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Amsterdam, NLA beautiful and rare stool, model “X602”, designed by Alvar Aalto and manufactured by Artek in Finland around 1960. This is an exceptional piece of mid-century Scandinavian design! ...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Stools
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Important Pair of 'X602' Stools by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1954By Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Antwerpen, VANVery rare pair of model ‘X602’ stools designed by Alvar Aalto around 1954. Made of a birch tripod base with exceptional wood detailing and the original black leather seats. In great ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Birch
- Alvar Aalto Stool X602, 1950s Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas AbBy Artek, Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIAlvar Aalto stool model X602, manufactured in Finland by Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab back in the 1950s. A rare model, the X-leg stool is one of the simplest yet most brill...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Bentwood
- Alvar Aalto Stool X600 for Artek, 1950sBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIEven though simple, this stool comes with great quality and attention to details. The less common X-leg with the leather padding bring plain beauty. The original blue leather makes t...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Birch
- Alvar Aalto "Model 60" Stool for ArtekBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Los Angeles, CAModel 60 three-legged stool by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland, c.1950s. The stool features a circular birch wood top and bent birch wood legs with Aalto’s signature “L-leg” design. ...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBirch
- Stool model 60, Alvar Aalto, Artek, 1950sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIStool model 60 by Alvar Aalto for Artek from the 1950s. Lacquered birch and linoleum top. Good vintage condition, rich patina and wear consistent with age and use. Iconic Alvar Aalto...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsBirch
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.