Alvar Aalto Stool in Birch "Model 60" Produced by Artek, Finland ca 1940s
About the Item
- Creator:Artek (Maker),Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Design:Stool 60L-Leg Series
- Dimensions:Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)Diameter: 13.78 in (35 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Stockholm, SE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5488229982062
Stool 60
Although Finnish architect and furniture maker Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) was recognized early in his career for his decorative interiors and innovative building concepts, his functional wood furniture reflected a simplicity that extended even to his marketing copy. “One chair is enough” is one such slogan attributed to him today.
While the renowned designs he produced with his first wife Aino for a tuberculosis sanatorium in Paimio included tubular steel, Aalto eventually distanced himself from the material, differing from peers such as Marcel Breuer in that he favored working with organic materials, having deemed wood “form-inspiring” and “deeply human.” The stackable Stool 60, made of cost-effective solid birch and birch plywood, is emblematic of that approach.
In the mid- to late-1920s, with the support of fellow woodworker Otto Korhonen at a furniture factory in Turku, Finland — a densely forested country where birch trees and lumber suppliers are plentiful — Aalto developed the “bent-knee” technique for making furniture. It involves a solid piece of birch soaked and softened in water and then sawed open in the direction of the wood grain. Afterward, thin slats of wood are glued into the grooves, and the wood is heated so that it becomes malleable.
The bent-knee process, which has changed little since its inception, yielded the “L-leg” that Aalto initially had in mind for his Stool 60. Three L-legs were mounted to the underside of the flat, circular plywood seat of the Stool 60 in the Turku factory, but Aalto’s innovation had applications for tables and a lot more. The furniture maker called the L-leg “the little sister of the architectural column.”
When the first prototype of the deceptively simplistic-looking Stool 60 materialized, Aalto and Korhonen tossed the piece across the sprawling factory floor to test its durability. Aalto told all in earshot, “We’ll make thousands of these one day!” It was a fairly modest prediction: Debuting at an exhibition of Finnish design in 1933, the Stool 60 was a revolutionary piece of seating furniture, and it has sold millions.
It is now available with seats in various colors and is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The library for which the stool was first intended won the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize in 2014.
The Stool 60 is currently manufactured by Artek, which the Aaltos helped cofound, and it is one of the company’s most cherished products.
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: Stockholm, Sweden
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Swedish Wooden Mid Century Stool in Solid Stained Pine Produced in 1940sLocated in Stockholm, SERare wooden rustic mid century stool in pine produced in Sweden, 1940s. In good original condition. Dimensions: H: 40 cm / 15.75" W: 32 cm / 15.60" D: 32 cm / 15.60" Goes well w...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsPine
- Carl Malmsten "Visingsö" Mid Century Pine Stool Produced in Sweden, 1940sBy Carl MalmstenLocated in Stockholm, SEA rare mid century four legged "Visingsö" pine stool model by Carl Malmsten and produced by AB Karl Andersson & Sönder Sweden in the 1940s. In good original condition. Original manuf...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsPine
- David Rosén "Berga" Pine Low Stool Produced by Nordiska Kompaniet Sweden, 1940sBy David Rosén, NK (Nordiska Kompaniet)Located in Stockholm, SEVery rare "Berga" mid century low stool in solid stained pine by David Rosén for Nordiska Kompaniet produced in the 1940s. Good original condition acquired from the original owner. ...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsPine
- Swedish Mid-Century Stool in Solid Stained Pine Produced in Sweden Ca 1970sLocated in Stockholm, SERare Swedish stool in solid stained pine produced in Sweden during the 1970s. Acquired from the original owner family and in good vintage condition with genuine patina from age and u...Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsPine
- Swedish Mid Century Tripod Wooden Stool in Pine Produced in Sweden, 1970sLocated in Stockholm, SERare Swedish mid century tripod wooden stool in solid pine produced in Sweden during 1970s. In good original condition. Stamped "S.G" under neath the seat. Dimensions: Height: 35 ...Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsPine
- G. A Berg Mid Century "Patron" Armchair in Birch Wood Produced in Sweden, 1940sBy Gustaf Axel BergLocated in Stockholm, SEVery rare and early mid century wooden "Patron" arm lounge chair in birch and hemp webbing by Gustav Axel Berg / G. A Berg produced in Sweden, 1940s. In good original condition. Di...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsHemp, Birch
- Six Alvar Aalto Stools in Birch "Model 60" Produced by Artek, Finland ca 1940sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in St-Brais, JUWith Artek 2nd Cycle sticker, late 1940s. Purchased in Helsinki.Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Stools
MaterialsWood
- Rare Alvar Aalto Stool 60 In Birch, Artek, 1940sBy Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIAn iconic red model 60 stool in birch and beautiful patina. Designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek in the 1940s, this design has definitely stood the test of time, as it is still in produ...Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto Stool Model 60 In Birch, 1950s ArtekBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIArtek stool in birch and beautiful dark patina, designed by Alvar Aalto and manufactured by Artek in the 1950s. The model 60 stool is perhaps the most well known Aalto design and has...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto 7 Vintage L-Leg Stools Model 60 in Birch, 1970s Artek, FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Odense, DKSet of 7 beautifully patinated L-leg stools by Alvar Aalto in laminated birch. Bought in Denmark in the 1970s at Paustian. Alvar Aalto’s Three-legged stool model 60 designed in 1934...Category
Vintage 1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsBirch
- A Pair of Alvar Aalto Stools Model 60 In Birch, 1950s ArtekBy Artek, Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIA pair of Artek stools in birch and muliti layered colourful beautiful patina, designed by Alvar Aalto and retailed by Artek in the 1950s. The model 60 stool is perhaps the most well...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsBirch
- Rare Alvar Aalto Stool 60 Wartime Version, Artek, 1940sBy Huonekalu-Ja Rakennustyötedas Oy, Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIAlvar Aalto war-time stools are extremely sought after collectibles for the simple reason that not many of them are available any more. A war-time stoo...Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsWool, Wood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Married Collectors behind Stockholm’s Newest Design Museum
Kersti Sandin and Lars Bülow want their new endeavor to educate both students and professionals about furniture design.
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.