Set of 4 Alvar Aalto Chairs with Black Straps, Finland, 1960's
About the Item
- Creator:Alvar Aalto (Designer),Artek (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Austin, TX
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Austin, TX
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Alvar Aalto Armchairs with Black Straps, Finland, 1960'sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Austin, TXModel 45 armchairs, designed in 1947 by Alvar Aalto and manufactured later by Artek. Beech frames and woven black nylon seat and back make a comfortable and sought after combination ...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsNylon, Beech
- Scandinavian Midcentury Armchairs in Plaid, Set of 6Located in Austin, TXSet of 6 Mid-Century Modern armed dining chairs or office chairs. Scandinavian styling in solid birch frame with bentwood back and custom upholstere...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Bentwood
- Pair of "Junior" Chairs by Yrjö Kukkapuro, Finland, 1960sBy Yrjö KukkapuroLocated in Austin, TXBeautiful and rare pair of Junior armchairs designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro, manufactured by Haimi in Finland during the mid–1960s. Swivel chairs, made from...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal, Enamel
- Pair of Armchairs in Beech with Rush Seats, France, 1950'sLocated in Austin, TXPair of comfortable armchairs in beech or oak with woven rush seats. Great side chairs or dining chairs. In the style typical of chalet and chateau residences from mid-century France...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsStraw, Rush, Beech
- Pair of Scandinavian Mid-Century Armchairs in PlaidLocated in Austin, TXPair of Mid-Century Modern armed dining chairs or office chairs. Scandinavian styling in solid birch frame with bentwood back and custom upholstered...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Bentwood
- Cerused Oak Art Deco Chairs by Michel Polak, Belgium, 1930s, PairBy Joseph De CoeneLocated in Austin, TXPair of Art Deco chairs with cerused finish on oak, designed by famed Swiss architect Michel Polak. Newly upholstered seats in oxblood red/maroon leather....Category
Vintage 1930s Belgian Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Alvar Aalto for Artek Model 45 Armchair Chair Black Leather 1 of 4By Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Munich, BavariaRare armchair Model 45 from Alvar Aalto.Made of laminated birch wood and black aniline leather. Manufactured by Artek. The chairs are very comfortable and lightweighted. They are in ...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Birch, Lacquer
- Alvar Aalto for Artek Model 45 Armchair Chair Black Leather 1 of 6By Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Munich, BavariaRare armchair model 45 from Alvar Aalto made of laminated birch wood and black aniline leather. Manufactured by Artek. The chairs are very comfortable and lightweighted. They are ...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Birch, Lacquer
- Alvar Aalto for Artek Model Y61 Stool Chair Black Leather 1 of 2By Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Munich, BavariaRare stool model Y61 from Alvar Aalto. Made of laminated birch wood and black aniline leather. Manufactured by Artek. The stools are comfortable and lightweighted. They are in bes...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Birch, Lacquer
- Armchair by Alvar AaltoBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Sagaponack, NYA laminated birch armchair with a black linen webbed seat and cane wrapped arms.Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBirch
- Set of 4 Alvar Aalto dining chairs Model 611, 1960s FinlandBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Balen, BESet of 4 Alvar Aalto chairs Model 611, birch wood frame reupholstered with high quality saddle leather straps in cognac color, produced by Artek in the 1970s...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Birch
- 1940s Finnish Dining Chair by Alvar Aalto for ArtekBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Sagaponack, NYA dining chair in laminated birch with newly upholstered black leather seat and back.Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Birch
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.