Children's Scaled Dining Set by Alvar Aalto for Artek
View Similar Items
Children's Scaled Dining Set by Alvar Aalto for Artek
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Width: 36 in (91.44 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)Seat Height: 12 in (30.48 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 5
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Birch,Lacquered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:North Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU81202977722
Alvar Aalto
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.
- Alvar Aalto Stool for ArtekBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Belmont, MAAlvar Aalto stool manufactured by Artek, originally designed in 1933. Crafted in Laminated Birch. Retails warm, rich, original patina and based upon its patina and provenance appears to be an early example of Alvar Aalto's work. Alvar Aalto 1898–1976 Born in Kuortane, Finland, in 1898, Alvar Aalto began his formal training studying architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology. It was here that he met his future wife and collaborator, Aino Marsio who was also an architectural student in the program. The two were married in 1924. In 1929, Aalto won a competition to design a new sanatorium in Paimio for patients convalescing from tuberculosis; a total Gesamtkunstwerk, Aalto designed everything at Paimio, from the chairs to the sinks, to create a soothing and sanitary environment for the patients. In 1932, Aalto’s architectural drawings were featured in the landmark Modern Architecture: International Exhibition which was curated by Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock and included the latest architectural innovations from around the globe. In 1935, Alvar and Aino Aalto, Nils-Gustav Hahl, and Maire Gullichsen formed the design company, Artek. In addition to a focus on practicality, the work of Artek is marked by its use of light-colored woods, organic forms, and biomorphic lines. Though, many of Aalto’s designs were imbued with playful elements like zebra prints and reindeer fur...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBirch
$1,520 Sale Price20% Off - Dining Set Designed by Alvar Aalto for Finmar Ltd., Finland, 1929By Alvar AaltoLocated in Stockholm, SEDining set designed by Alvar Aalto for Finmar Ltd., Finland, 1929. Birch. Stamped. This rare dining set by the Finish design icon Alvar Aalto is character...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto Table by ArtekBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Highland, INThis terrific vintage Aalto table is entirely original and has a wonderful patina from age and use. Acquired directly from its original owner, it has great provenance. 18"h X 28.25"dCategory
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood
- Side Table By Alvar Aalto for Artek FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Turku, FISpectacularly colored little table By Alvar Aalto For Artek Finland. Iconic L-leg Design. Re-Painted by a professional at some point. No original color. Dimensions: Height 54cm Lw...Category
Late 20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBirch
- Rare Dining Set with Table and Four Chairs by Alvar AaltoBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Copenhagen, DKRare dining set in patinated masur birch. Dining table (model 91) and four chairs (model 611). Maker Huonekalutehdas Korhonen Oy. Table size 125 cm diameter.Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Sets
MaterialsBirch
- Vintage Aalto H-legged Table (Table 81B) by Alvar Aalto for ArtekBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Centreville, VAH-legged Table (Table 81B) with blue linoleum top (Blue linoleum top is no longer in production) The last of Alvar Aalto’s inventions to be adopted by the furniture industry was th...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
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.