Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is a furniture designer in a long line of architects who also designed furniture. Born Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto on February 3,1898 in Kuortane, Finland, he became Alvar Aalto.
He got his diploma in architecture in 1921 from the Helsinki University of Technology. He began his career in architecture in 1923, and started designing furniture around 1925.
Interestingly, similar to many other designers of his time he married someone who also became his work partner.
Aino Marsio was also an architect by profession, and together they founded Artek in 1935. Aino died of cancer in 1949, but the company they founded together is still flourishing today and recognized for its contributions to modern design.
Alvar Aalto's Career:
Aalto's early career saw him working as an exhibition designer. His work took him throughout Europe and helped him gather firsthand knowledge of trends in architecture and art. His first independent work was in In 1922, at the Industrial Exposition in Tampere in Southern Finland.
The next year in 1923 he opened his own architectural studio in Jyvaskyla. He got married to Aino Marsio and the couple began collaborating. He moved his studio to Turku in 1927, and then later made another move to Helsinki in 1933.
In 1928 Alvar Aalto became a member of the Congres International d'Architecture Moderne. This organization was founded by prominent architects in 1928 to create a series of events and congresses around the world. The purpose was to spread the principles of the Modern Movement focusing across all the main domains of architectural design.
Aalto went on to later head the Finnish Architects' Association SAFA from 1943 to 1958, and also had a stint at the MIT.
Alvar Aalto and Furniture Design:
While he was primarily an architect, furniture and object design was equally important to him. All aspects of design appealed to him. He studied under Eliel Saarinen, and was inspired by Thonet among others. In turn, Aalto's furniture design and use of organic shapes has continued to influence succeeding generations of furniture designers.
Aalto designed one of his first important buildings in Paimio. This was a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.Not only did he design the sanatorium, but he went on to also design its entire interior, along with furniture and other furnishings. This work proved to be a landmark in Alto's career propelling him to international fame.
Aino and Alvar Aalto started designing bent plywood and laminated wood furniture from 1925 onwards. From 1929, Alvar Aalto also began experimenting on furniture along with with Otto Korhonen. Korhonen was the technical director of a furniture factory near Turku. Recently Artek has acquired HKT Korhonen so that their work can continue today and their collaborations live on.
Alvar Aalto's Furniture Design Landmarks:
Aalto's collaborations and experiments led to some very innovative furniture designs that are very much his own and recognized and sought after today. His design concepts were organic and were inspired by the human form.
His buildings and chairs were also designed keeping the user in mind. In his furniture designs, you will find that the intent is to mold them to the human form.
- His signature curvilinear chair designs including Paimio were produced starting in the 1930s. Paimio was created in 1931.
- The L-leg stackable chair with L-shaped legs was created in 1933.
- In 1936 he designed his tea trolley with wheels featured above.
- The Y-Leg stool was created in 1946. The design was achieved by splitting the L-Leg lengthwise and then re-joining the leg, so you see a Y where the leg and the seat are joined.
- The Fan-Leg was designed in 1954.
- Aalto also designed a number of tableware and glassware items including his still famous and widely acclaimed Aalto vase.