Ilmari Tapiovaara 'Domino' Coffee Table
View Similar Items
Ilmari Tapiovaara 'Domino' Coffee Table
About the Item
- Creator:Ilmari Tapiovaara (Designer),Asko (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.95 in (40.5 cm)Width: 47.05 in (119.5 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950-1959
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Please note that this table has a minor scouring spot on the left side of the table top.
- Seller Location:Waalwijk, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: 450048511stDibs: LU933117283082
Ilmari Tapiovaara
During the mid-20th century, Finnish furniture designer Ilmari Tapiovaara worked with pine, teak and his country’s native birch to create sleek and sculptural chairs, dining room tables and bookcases in the Scandinavian modern style. Tapiovaara’s areas of expertise expanded beyond furniture to include interior architecture, wooden sculptures, film posters and cutlery.
After completing his studies at the Central School of Applied Arts in Helsinki, Tapiovaara embarked on a design career that would envelop his entire life. As a young man, Tapiovaara idolized revered architect and furniture designer Alvar Aalto — whom, with his wife, Aino Aalto, cofounded Artek, the company that would eventually manufacture the majority of Tapiovaara’s creations. The budding designer had one of Aalto’s chairs in his apartment while he was a student. After graduating, he worked as an assistant in an office at Le Corbusier, then as a designer and artistic director at Asko.
By 1951, Tapiovaara and his wife, Annikki, had established their own studio. A few years previous, the pair had designed the now-legendary Domus chair while creating interiors and furnishings for a new student housing complex in Helsinki. Made of molded plywood and easily stackable, the ergonomic Domus chair, with its slender form, featured a modest silhouette — its lightweight structure allowed for easy exporting, and iconic mid-century modern furniture manufacturer Knoll added a low-backed version to its offerings in the early 1950s. (It was marketed as the Finn chair in the United States.)
Tapiovaara went on to design pieces for Pihlgren ja Ritola and Santa and Cole. His experience earned him teaching positions at the Institute of Applied Arts, the Helsinki University of Technology and the Illinois Institute of Technology. While in Chicago for the latter, he worked in the office of Mies van der Rohe.
Tapiovaara centered his passion for design on social responsibility. He wanted his creations to be accessible to everyone, which was the concept behind his democratic approach. In Finland’s postwar era, the goal was exemplary, affordable designs. With this in mind, he created products such as stackable chairs and “knock-down” pieces packed flat, so they shipped efficiently and cost less.
An influential champion of his profession, he spent two decades as a United Nations ambassador, working to improve design’s contribution to society. His lasting, collectible furniture is a testament to the designer’s goal to create humane, radiant and intimate spaces. The United Nations project included traveling to Paraguay to create much-needed furniture. A similar project followed in Mauritius.
Tapiovaara’s success as an industrial and mass producer of everyday furniture was widely recognized and awarded. He received six gold medals for his chairs alone at the Milan Triennials. He also accepted a Good Design award, the Finnish State Design Award, a prize from the Finnish Culture Foundation and the Furniture Prize of the SIO Interior Architects’ Association of Finland.
Find vintage Ilmari Tapiovaara seating, tables and lighting on 1stDibs.
Established in 2006, Morentz has a team of approximately 55 restorers, upholsterers, interior advisers and art historians, making it a gallery, workshop and upholstery studio, all in one. Every day, a carefully selected array of 20th-century furniture arrives from all over the world at the firm’s warehouse, where the team thoroughly examines each piece to determine what, if any, work needs to be done. Whether that means new upholstery or a complete restoration, Morentz's aim is always to honor the designer’s intention while fulfilling the wishes of the client. The team is up to any challenge, from restoring a single piece to its original glory to furnishing a large-scale hotel project.
- Ilmari Tapiovaara 'Domino' Coffee TableBy Ilmari Tapiovaara, AskoLocated in Waalwijk, NLIlmari Tapiovaara for Asko, 'Domino' coffee table, birch, Finland, 1953. This Finnish coffee table is designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara. The table features a solid rectangular tabletop ...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBirch
- Tapio Wirkkala Coffee Table in BirchBy Tapio Wirkkala, AskoLocated in Waalwijk, NLTapio Wirkkala for Asko, cocktail table in oak and metal, Finland, 1960s. Coffee table with wooden inlay ornaments designed by Tapio Wirkala. The table is produced by Asko. This cof...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Ilmari Tapiovaara for Laukaan Puu Set of Four 'Pirkka' ChairsBy Ilmari Tapiovaara, Laukaan PuuLocated in Waalwijk, NLIlmari Tapiovaara for Laukaan Puu, set of four 'Pirkka' dining chairs, beech, pine, Finland, design 1955 This set of ‘Pirkka’ chairs by Finish designer I...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Pine
- Jan Wichers and Alexander Blomberg 'Domino' Coffee TableBy Jan Wichers, Alexander BlombergLocated in Waalwijk, NLJan Wichers and Alexander Blomberg for Rosenthal Munich, 'Domino' coffee table, white acrylic on building board, Germany, 1979 This playful coffee or side table can easily be transf...Category
Vintage 1970s German Post-Modern Side Tables
MaterialsAcrylic
- Ilmari Tapiovaara 'Maija the Bee' Floor Lamp with Brass FeetBy Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in Waalwijk, NLIlmari Tapiovaara for Hienoteräs, 'Maija the Bee' floor lamp, coated metal and brass, Finland, 1955 The line of Maija lights was designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara in 1955. He was inspired by the children’s book Maya the Bee...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Ilmari Tapiovaara for Artek Lounge Chair 'Domus Lux' in BirchBy Ilmari Tapiovaara, ArtekLocated in Waalwijk, NLIlmari Tapiovaara for Artek, lounge chair model 'Domus Lux', lacquered wood, birch, Finland, designed in 1948, recent production. This wonderfully sculpted lounge chair is characte...Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWood, Birch
- “Domino” Coffee Table by Ilmari Tapiovaara for Asko FinlandBy Asko, Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in Landgraaf, NL“Domino” coffee table by Ilmari Tapiovaara for Asko Finland. Designed in 1954. Black cross-legged base and teak rectangular top. One honist repair at a co...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Pirkka Coffee Table by Ilmari TapiovaaraBy Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in New York, NYSolid pine "Pirkka" coffee table with lacquered black legs designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara Produced by Laukaan Puu Finland, 1957.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPine
- Ilmari Tapiovaara Coffee Table / Side Table Produced by Laukaan Puu in FinlandBy Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länRare coffee table / side table designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara. Produced by Laukaan Puu in Finland.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPine
- Ilmari Tapiovaara Midcentury Coffe Table 50'sBy Artek, Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in bari, ITVintage coffee table model ovalette by Ilmari Tapiovaara per Artek 1958.Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
- Ilmari Tapiovaara Round Walnut Teak Wood Coffee Table, circa 1960By Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in Vienna, ATWenge wood table with, France, circa 1960. Mid-century table from walnut and teak. It's composed of a cross shaped base with five a-symmetrical feet. Beautifully designed with a d...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsTeak, Walnut
- Ilmari Tapiovaara X-leg Easily Dismantable TableBy Asko, Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in Helsinki, FIYrjö Ilmari Tapiovaara(1914-1999) was an internationally renowned Finnish designer best known for his furnishings and textiles. In WW2, Tapiova...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Tables
MaterialsBirch, Laminate
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
You Don’t Need a Fictional Fairy to Get This Real Pinocchio Lamp
Warm chalet style meets cool Bauhaus functionality in Pietro Cascella’s cleverly carved creation.
Morentz Writes the Next Chapter for Furniture with a Storied Past
Dutch dealer Matthijs Hoveijn specializes in the best of mid-century modern design, selling it to discerning clients around the world.