Midcentury Alvar Aalto Chest of Drawers
View Similar Items
Midcentury Alvar Aalto Chest of Drawers
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer),Artek (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)Width: 34 in (86.36 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Better then what you expect for an item of this age and build. Excellent example.
- Seller Location:BROOKLYN, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1793215775122
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.
- Midcentury Paul McCobb Small Jewelry Chest 4 Drawers Maple Brass Brown FinishBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in BROOKLYN, NYNice Paul McCobb 3' small jewelry box in solid maple construction with brown finish. Very high quality construction with original brass pulls. Made for top of dresser or bookcase. 8 brass knobs 4 drawers. Planner Group, Winchendon Mass. Refinished condition. Has velvet black drawer inserts.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Superb Early Midcentury Chest of Drawers in BirchwoodBy Plycraft, Paul GoldmanLocated in BROOKLYN, NYBeautiful shimmering birchwood 4 drawer dresser on sled base. Produced by Plymold for just a few years before founding Plycraft. Paul Goldman designed most of Plycraft furniture incl...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBirch
$2,200 Sale Price20% Off - Original Midcentury Alvar Aalto Coat Rack / Shelf Stora Enso Building, FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in BROOKLYN, NYFor your consideration is this original coat rack with shelf designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek circa 1960 featuring birch wood, metal coat hooks and early nickel plated steel hanger ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsSteel
- Original Midcentury Alvar Aalto Coat Rack / Shelf Stora Enso Building FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in BROOKLYN, NYFor your consideration is this original coat rack with shelf designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek circa 1960 featuring birch wood, metal coat hooks and early nickel plated steel hanger ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsSteel
- Midcentury Alvar Aalto Blonde Birch Bentwood Leg Coffee Table or BenchBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in BROOKLYN, NYMidcentury coffee or cocktail table or Bench by Finnish architect and designer Alvar Allto. Stands on 4 birch bentwood legs and table top surface rectang...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood, Birch, Bentwood
$6,400 Sale Price20% Off - Midcentury Paul McCobb Chest of Drawers on Brass BaseBy Calvin Furniture, Paul McCobbLocated in BROOKLYN, NYBeautiful Paul McCobb rare 4 drawer dresser Irwin Collection by Calvin- Irwin Collection. Walnut case piece on a brass base. In wonderful original co...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Model HB96 Chest of Drawers, Alvar Aalto, 1930sBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIModel HB96 chest of drawers, design by Alvar Aalto, 1930s. Birch. Good vintage condition, rich patina and wear consistent with age and use. Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is probably the ...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBirch
- Midcentury Cherrywood Italian Chest of Drawers, 1950Located in Rome, ITItalian chest of drawers, from the mid-20th century. Peculiar shape, original and avant-garde for that time period. A very basic design, but by far an stylish dresser. All veneere...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood, Cherry
- MidCentury Macassar and Goatskin Italian Chests of Drawers, 1980Located in Rome, ITPerfect bedroom dresser all refinement and style both for the size of the entire design and for the utmost care taken for its entire finish. A simple square design welcomes a Macass...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsGoatskin, Macassar
- MidCentury Macassar and Goatskin Italian Chests of Drawers, 1980Located in Rome, ITPerfect bedroom dresser all refinement and style both for the size of the entire design and for the utmost care taken for its entire finish. A simple square design welcomes a Macass...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsGoatskin, Macassar
- Midcentury Super Design Black Shellac Chest of Drawers, 1970Located in Rome, ITUnmistakable design, and super polishing with dyed dark mahogany shellac. It absolutely cannot be missing in your home. A beautiful dresser with a surprising design, the commode is ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Model 296 Chest of Drawers, Alvar Aalto, Oy Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas AbBy Alvar Aalto, Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas AbLocated in Helsinki, FIModel 296 chest of drawers, designed by Alvar Aalto, manufactured by Oy Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab, 1930s. Painted birch. Good vintage condition, rich patina and wear consist...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBirch, Paint
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.