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.
Vintage Alvar Aalto Cafe / Study Table Model 81 Finmar Label 1930s Production
By Alvar Aalto, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Finmar
Located in Uxbridge, GB
An early Alvar Aalto Model 81 table, dating to the 1930s and retaining its original Finmar label, a highly desirable indicator of its early production period. The table features Aal...
Birch
Walter Gropius Isokon Stool Model No. 1, Table Tray, Pair, Gropius Variation
By Walter Gropius, Luterma, Isokon
Located in Uxbridge, GB
A rare pair of Isokon Stool No. 1 stools / tables, in the version modified by Walter Gropius during his time as Controller of Design for Isokon in Britain...
Birch, Plywood
Marcel Breuer Nesting Tables, Isokon c1935/36 First Production Made in Estonia
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Uxbridge, GB
Moulded birch veneered plywood Largest Table Width - 61 cm - 24.01 inches Depth - 46 cm - 18.11 inches Height - 37 cm - 14.56 inches Medium Table Width - 61 cm - 24.01 inches Depth - 42.5 cm - 16.73 inches Height - 35 cm - 13.77 inches Smallest Table Width - 61 cm - 24.01 inches Depth - 39 cm - 15.35 inches Height - 33.5 cm - 13.18 inches An important early set of three Marcel Breuer Nesting Tables, designed in 1936 for Isokon and produced in Estonia. Breuer designed the tables as a compact set of three graduated forms, each constructed from a single continuous sheet of bent birch plywood. The simplicity of the construction is remarkable, with the plywood curving down from the top to form the sides and feet without the need for separate legs. When not in use, the three tables fit neatly beneath one another to form a compact group. The design belongs to the particularly important period following Breuer's arrival in Britain in 1935, when he began working with Jack Pritchard and Isokon and exploring the possibilities of plywood furniture. Together with the Long Chair, the Nesting Tables became one of the most recognisable designs to emerge from Breuer's work for the company. This is an original matching set of three early-production tables. Each carries the impressed “Made in Estonia” stamp, identifying the set with the early Estonian production of Isokon furniture. The provenance is particularly interesting. The tables were acquired directly from the same family as our early Marcel Breuer Long Chair...
Plywood
Set of Three, Pierre Jeanneret Low Stools in Teak & Iron from Chandigarh India
By Pierre Jeanneret
Located in Uxbridge, GB
A closely matched set of three original Pierre Jeanneret small stools, dating from circa 1960 and produced for the Post Graduate Institute in Chandigarh, India. The stools combine s...
Iron
Alvar Aalto Model 2 Birch Library Armchair, produced in Finland c1929–30
By Finmar, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Alvar Aalto
Located in Uxbridge, GB
A rare early Alvar Aalto Model 2 Library Armchair, designed in 1929–30 and produced in Finland by Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Oy, Turku. This chair was originally one of a set of...
Birch, Plywood
Set of Pierre Jeanneret Stools in Patinated Teak & Iron from Chandigarh, India
By Pierre Jeanneret
Located in Uxbridge, GB
An authentic set of three Pierre Jeanneret medium-height stools from Chandigarh, India, dating from circa 1960 and originally associated with Punjab University. These stools are an e...
Iron
Pair of Model 60 Stools, Alvar Aalto, Artek, 1960s
By Artek, Alvar Aalto
Located in Helsinki, Uusimaa
Pair of model 60 stools, designed by Alvar Aalto, manufactured by Artek, 1960s. Birch frame, red linoleum seat. Good vintage condition, patina and wear consistent with age and use. T...
Birch
A Pair of Alvar Aalto Stools Model no 60, Black Laminate, Artek 1950s
By Artek, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Alvar Aalto
Located in Helsinki, FI
These two iconic Alvar Aalto stools from the 1950s are beautiful and space saving furniture pieces of timeless design. The legs are mounted directly to the underside of the round sea...
Fabric, Birch
Important Pair of 'X602' Stools by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1954
By Alvar Aalto, Artek
Located in Antwerpen, VAN
Very 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 ...
Leather, Birch
Set of 2 wooden stools E60 model attributed to Alvar Aalto for Artek 60's
By Alvar Aalto, Artek
Located in Padova, IT
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (Kuortane, February 3, 1898 - Helsinki, May 11, 1976) was a Finnish architect, designer and academic, one of the most important figures in 20th century archit...
Birch
Pair of Alvar Aalto Model 60 Stools by Finsven, Sweden, Mid-20th Century.
By Finsven, Alvar Aalto
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A handsome matched pair of Scandinavian Modern Model 60 stools designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in 1933 and manufactured in Sweden by Finsven, circa 1945–1950. Each stool fe...
Wood
Pair of Vintage bentwood Low Tables or Stools After a Design by Alvar Aalto
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Hudson, NY
This pair of vintage 3-legged low stools or tables from the designer Alvar Aalto were first introduced in the 1930s. Both made circa 1955 and clearly having always lived their life t...
Wood, Lacquer
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Andrew Duncanson, founder of the Stockholm- and London-based gallery Modernity, weighs in on the masters of mid-century furniture and decorative arts.
