Trolley ‘Model 901’ Designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland, 1950s
View Similar Items
Trolley ‘Model 901’ Designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 22.05 in (56 cm)Width: 36.23 in (92 cm)Depth: 19.69 in (50 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Birch,Wood
- Place of Origin:Finland
- Period:Mid-20th Century
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Stockholm, SE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1006628412102
Tea Trolley 900
Making its international debut at the 1937 Paris World Exhibition, the Tea Trolley 900 encapsulates Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto's (1898–1976) influential approach to modernism through its emphasis on local materials and elegant pragmatism.
A modern take on the traditional British tea cart, it is a versatile domestic object: It can be rolled up for dinner, tucked away in a corner for housing odds and ends or presented as a striking centerpiece. With a ceramic tile serving tray, a handmade rattan basket for storage and two large wheels lined with rubber to offer quiet and easy movement, every aspect is aimed at fulfilling a function, down to its supporting closed curves of laminated form-bent Finnish birch, which recall the Japanese woodwork Aalto had experienced while traveling.
The Tea Trolley 900 was one of the furniture objects produced in the early years of the Artek company, formed by Aalto and his wife, Aino, with Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl to “promote a modern culture of living.” Artek brought to the mass market Aalto’s take on International Style, which celebrated the beauty of exposed wood, including still popular pieces like the stackable Stool 60 and plywood Paimio armchair.
The Tea Trolley 900 is also demonstrative of Aalto’s ongoing efforts to innovate with his own designs. Before the Tea Trolley 900, there was the Tea Trolley 901, a sleeker version with two tiers of linoleum trays that was exhibited at the Milan Triennale. Each piece, with its big wheels and dynamic wooden frame, brings some drama to the home while exemplifying the values of Scandinavian design.
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.
- Table designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland, 1970s, lacquered birchBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SETable designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland, 1970s. Lacquered birch and laminate. Alvar Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, ...Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsLaminate, Birch, Lacquer
- Ceiling Lamp Designed by Alvar Aalto for Idman, Finland, 1950sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SECeiling lamp designed by Alvar Aalto for Idman, Finland. 1950's. Lacquered metal. Dimensions H: 21 cm / 8 1/8" W: 115 cm / 3' 9 1/8" D: 33 cm / 8 1/8" Provenance: From Stora Enso'...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Ceiling Lamp Designed by Alvar Aalto for Idman, Finland, 1950sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SECeiling lamp designed by Alvar Aalto for Idman, Finland. 1950s. Lacquered metal. Dimensions: H: 21 cm / 8 1/8" W: 115 cm / 3' 9 1/8" D: 33 cm / 8 1/8" Provenance: From Stora Enso's...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Trolley model 900 designed by Alvar Aalto with tile by Fiskars for Artek, SwedenBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SETrolley model 900 designed by Alvar Aalto with tile by Fiskars for Artek, Finland, 1946. Birch, tile from Fiskars, and rattan. Provenance: Ingvar Norman, Ernst Sundhs Byggnads AB. ...Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Serving Tables
MaterialsCeramic, Birch
- Ceiling Lamp Designed by Alvar Aalto for Idman, Finland, 1950sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SECeiling lamp designed by Alvar Aalto for Idman, Finland. 1950s Lacquered metal. H: 21 cm / 8 1/8" W: 115 cm / 3' 9 1/8" D: 33 cm / 8 1/8" Provenance: From Stora Enso's head office...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
- Folding 'Screen 100' Designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland, 1936By Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SEFolding 'Screen 100' designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland. 1936. Pine. Alvar Aalto’s 'Screen 100' designed in 1936 is a sculptural room divider made entirely of individual...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsPine
- Mid-Century Tea Cart Model 901 Trolley by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland, 1950sBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Vorst, BETea Cart or Trolley model 901 designed by Aino and Alvar Aalto for Artek. Made in Finland. Manufactured probably in the 1950s. Birch frame, contrasting shelving with black linoleum, ...Category
Late 20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsBirch, Plywood
- Tea Trolley Model 901 by Alvar Aalto for Artek, Finland 1990sBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Greding, DEBeech tea trolley with white disc wheels and black shelves.Category
1990s Finnish Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsWood
- Aalto Tea Trolley Model 901 for Artek, 1950sBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Helsinki, FIAalto Tea Trolley Model 901 for Artek, circa 1950s. Model created in the 1930s. White linoleum top with birch frame and white lacquered wood wheels with rubber rings...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsRubber, Birch
- Alvar Aalto Serving Trolley 901 by ArtekBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FL901 Serving Trolley by Alvar Aalto. Authentic, stamp on bottom. 90s. Birchwood frame and linoleum covered trays. 35w 20d 20hCategory
1990s Finnish Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsLaminate, Wood
- Serving trolley 901 by Alvar Aalto, Artek FinlandBy Artek, Aino AaltoLocated in Argelato, BOAlvar Aalto's 901 trolley is one of the icons of Finnish modern design, presented for the first time at the Milan Triennale in 1936. The bar or tea trolley features a birch wood frame and white linoleum-covered trays. Soberly elegant, the Aalto trolley...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsRubber, Birch
- 1950s Alvar and Aino Aalto for Artek Tea Trolley 901 in Birch with Ceramic TileBy Alvar Aalto, Artek, Aino AaltoLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is an original ‘Tea Trolley 901’ Serving Cart, designed in 1936 by Aino and Alvar Aalto for Artek. The piece was manufactured in Finland circa 1950s. The strong frame is made fr...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Modern Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsBirch, Rubber
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.