Stool 60 with finger joint seat by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)Diameter: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Centreville, VA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8365235600922
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Centreville, VA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Stool 60 with finger joint seat by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1960sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Centreville, VA1960s model with five slits in the L-legs and a finger-joint detail on the seat. Date of Manufacture: circa 1960s "The finger joint detail vanished in the mid 1960s. (The finger joi...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Stool 60 with finger joint seat by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1930-40sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Centreville, VA1930-40s model with four slits in the L-legs and a finger-joint detail on the seat. Date of Manufacture: circa 1930-40s Alvar Aalto's iconic Stool 60 is the most elemental of furnit...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Stool X600 (fan leg) for Artek by Alvar AaltoBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Centreville, VAThis stool was designed by Alvar Aalto in 1954 and features his impressive X-Leg design. X-Legs are created from splitting the traditional L-Leg in a longitudinal direction and re-...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Stool X601 (fan leg) for Artek by Alvar AaltoBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Centreville, VAThis stool was designed by Alvar Aalto in 1954 and features his impressive X-Leg design. X-Legs are created from splitting the traditional L-Leg in a longitudinal direction and re-c...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Stool 60 by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 80 years anniversary modelBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Centreville, VAAlvar Aalto's iconic Stool 60 is the most elemental of furniture pieces, equally suitable as a seat, a table, storage unit, or display surface. Born of modernist ideals and Finnish i...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBentwood
- Artek Armchair 406 by Alvar Aalto for ArtekBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Centreville, VAArmchair 406 combines simple elegance with comfort. Since wood changes over time, the armrests are formed from a single piece that is then split in half, ensuring that as the chair ...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- 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
- Side Table By Alvar Aalto for Artek FinlandBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated 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
- Pair of Mid Century Alvar Aalto Model 60 Birch Side Tables or Stools for ArtekBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Bedford Hills, NYPair of Mid Century Alvar Aalto Model 60 birch nesting side tables or stools, made in Romania.Category
Vintage 1960s Romanian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto Side Table for Artek Finland 1970sBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Saint Ouen, FRAlvar Aalto L leg rectangular side table for Artek. Bentwood laminated-birch legs. Original black linoleum top. Can be used as coffee table, console or child desk. Nice patina.Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto for Artek Model 76 Side TableBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in New York, NYAlvar Aalto for Artek Model 76 Side Table. The table is birch and painted. There are a pair of Alvar Aalto chairs that would complement thi...Category
2010s Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBirch, Paint
- Mid Century Modern Sculptural Round with Bent Legs by Alvar Aalto for ArtekBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Port Jervis, NYSimple yet elegant design by the iconic Alvar Aalto for artek. Round birch top about 19 in diameter with a height of 17.5 a good size to use in several locations. In very good condit...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Side 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.