Original Midcentury Alvar Aalto Coat Rack / Shelf Stora Enso Building Finland
About the Item
- Creator:Artek (Manufacturer),Alvar Aalto (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 11 in (27.94 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:
- Seller Location:BROOKLYN, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1793224030362
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: BROOKLYN, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Original Midcentury Alvar Aalto Coat Rack / Shelf Stora Enso Building, FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in BROOKLYN, NYFor your consideration is this original coat rack with shelf designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek circa 1960 featuring birch wood, metal coat hooks and early nickel plated steel hanger ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsSteel
- Original Alvar Aalto Shoe Rack Designed for the Stora Enso Building FinlandBy Alvar AaltoLocated in BROOKLYN, NYFor your consideration is this rare and custom shoe rack designed by Alvar Aalto circa 1960 featuring solid birch wood slats. Custom designed by Alvar Aal...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsWood, Birch
- Midcentury Alvar Aalto Blonde Birch Bentwood Leg Coffee Table or BenchBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in BROOKLYN, NYMidcentury coffee or cocktail table or Bench by Finnish architect and designer Alvar Allto. Stands on 4 birch bentwood legs and table top surface rectang...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood, Birch, Bentwood
- Midcentury Walnut Cado Display ShelfBy Poul CadoviusLocated in BROOKLYN, NYBeautiful Walnut Cado System display shelf thats meant to hold books or flat artwork. The shelf has a beautiful catch at the bottom preventing a book from...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsRosewood
- Isamu Kenmochi Coat Rack for Akita MokkoBy Akita Mokko, Isamu KenmochiLocated in BROOKLYN, NYIsamu Kenmochi, Akita Mokko Co., Ltd. Geat form on this painted green bent wood coat rack. This is a rare item for collectors and design enthusiast...Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsWood, Bentwood, Paint
- Mid century Scandinavian modern blonde bentwood daybed style of Alvar AaltoBy Alvar Aalto, Westnofa FurnitureLocated in BROOKLYN, NYMid century Scandinavian Modern daybed in the manner of Alvar Aalto or Westnofa with bent beech bentwood legs and blue woven upholstery. unsigned, c. 1970. Good vintage condition eas...Category
Vintage 1970s Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
MaterialsUpholstery, Bentwood
- Alvar Aalto, Umbrella Stand, Artek, FinlandBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Paris, FRAlvar Aalto (1898-1976) Umbrella stand A birch and brass umbrella stand with a three-sided base issuing three columns joined by a conforming rim. Produced by Artek, Finland. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Umbrella Stands
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto, early birch coat rackBy Alvar Aalto, Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas AbLocated in Turku, Varsinais-SuomiIntroducing the timeless design of the Alvar Aalto early birch coat rack, a true vintage gem for any home. This original piece showcases Aalto's icon...Category
Early 20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto Attributed Bent Wood Magazine Stand RackBy Alvar Aalto, ArtekLocated in Ferndale, MIDiminutive chair side blonde laminate wood with dowel magazine stand. Clean lines and blonde wood lead me to the Aalto attribution.Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsMaple
- Model 109 Alvar Aalto Coat Rack, circa 1940sBy Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIModel 109 Alvar Aalto coat rack from the 1940s. Birch with metal hooks. Good vintage condition, wear consistent with age and use. Iconic Alvar Aalto design.Category
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Hat Racks and Stands
MaterialsMetal
- 1960s Bentwood Drawing Rack by Alvar Aalto for ArtekBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn uncommon birch bentwood drawing rack with four pairs of hooks.Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsBirch
- Alvar Aalto Artek Coat Hanger Model 113, 1950sBy Artek, Alvar AaltoLocated in Helsinki, FIThis early 1940s single wall shelf model 112 is designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto for artek. This versatile shelf is in stained birch. The 2 triangular panels are joined ...Category
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsMetal
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.