PROJECT#5- MODERN FURNITURE

Mirabelle
July7,2016

Alvar Aalto
Born:
Kuortane, Finland
3 February 1898
Died:
11 May 1976 (aged 78)

Helsinki, Finland

Nationality:

Finnish

Occupation:

Architectz

Alvar and Elissa Aalto in the 1950s

 He was a Finnish architect,designer, sculptor and painter.

His work includes: architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware.
Aalto's early career runs in parallel with the rapid economic growth and industrialization of Finland
during the first half of the twentieth century and many of his clients were industrialists; among these
were the Ahlstrm-Gullichsen family.
The span of his career, from the 1920s to the 1970s, is reflected in the styles of his work, ranging from
Nordic Classicism of the early work, to a rational International Style Modernism during the 1930s to a
more organic modernist style from the 1940s onwards.

His furniture designs were considered Scandinavian Modern. What is typical for his entire career,
however, is a concern for design as a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art; whereby he together with
his first wife Aino Aalto would design not just the building, but give special treatments to the interior
surfaces and design furniture, lamps, and furnishings and glassware. The Alvar Aalto Museum,
designed by Aalto himself, is located in what is regarded as his home city Jyvskyl.

Buildings:

Paimio Sanatorium
Syntsalo Town Hall
Viipuri Library
Villa Mairea
Baker House
Finlandia Hall

Projects:

Helsinki City Centre

Design:

Savoy Vase
Paimio Chair

Savoy Vase
The Savoy Vase is a world famous piece
of glassware designed by Alvar Aalto.
This vase was created, along with many
other custom fixtures and furnishings,
for the Savoy Restaurant in Helsinki,
Finland. The undulating forms of the
vase echo the Finnish landscape with
its thousands of lakes. The original size
of the vase was five and a half inches
high. Since its creation, a variety of
colors and sizes have been produced by
Iittala, where it continues to be
meticulously crafted.

Paimio Chair
this furniture piece was designed by Hugo
Henrik Alvar Aalto during the same time
the Paimio Sanatorium was constructed.
Alvar Aalto was the most important figure
of the 1930s. His furnishings were a
natural extension of his architecture. He
revolutionized the aesthetic and
technology of furniture design; the Paimio
Chair was one of the first chairs with no
steel framework. Instead, it was
constructed of laminated plywood, a
signature material of Alvar Aalto

Finlandia Hall (196271)

This seaside concert hall is
a centerpiece of the
Finnish capital, boasting a
towering auditorium and
high roof (meant to
improve acoustics), curving
balconies and an exterior
of white marble and black
granite.

Furniture career

Whereas Aalto was famous for his architecture, his furniture designs were well thought of and
are still popular today. He studied Josef Hoffmann and the Wiener Werksttte, and for a period
of time, worked under Eliel Saarinen. He also gained inspiration from Gebrder Thonet.During
the late 1920s and 1930s he, working closely with Aino Aalto, also focused a lot of his energy
on furniture design, partly due to the decision to design much of the individual furniture pieces
and lamps for the Paimio Sanatorium. Of particular significance was the experimentation in
bent plywood chairs, most notably the so-called Paimio chair, which had been designed for the
sitting tuberculosis patient. The Aaltos, together with visual arts promoter Maire Gullichsen
and art historian Nils-Gustav Hahl founded the Artek company in 1935,ostensibly to sell Aalto
products, but also other imported products. He became the first furniture designer to use the
cantilever principle in chair design using wood.

Typical Furniture

Alvar Aalto portrayed on a stamp

published in 1976

The signature of Alvar Aalto on the wall

of Jyvskyl's theatre building

TODAYS ALVAR AALTO

From todays store

PONG
Armchair, black-brown,
Glose Robust black
$179.
The price reflects selected options
Article Number : 999.039.29
Layer-glued bent beech frame gives
comfortable resilience. Soft, durable and
easy care leather which is practical for
families with children.

From IKEA

WOMY
Description
Womy
Bar cart
Oh how you'll love to have guests over with this
stunning on-wheel bar featuring sumptuous
white marble shelves! A chic accessory that will
surprise any antique object lover.
- Antique brass finish
- White marble shelves
- Four casters
Dimensions
Dimensions (width, depth, height)
18.5" X 16.5" X 36.5"
47 cm X 42 cm X 93 cm

VIKTIGT
Stool, rattan, gray
$39.99

Article Number : 603.239.93

Furniture made of natural fiber is

lightweight but also sturdy and durable

From IKEA

THE ONE I LIKE

Thanks For Your Listening