1928-33PAIMIO SANATORIUM, FINLANDThe Paimio Sanatorium is considered Aaltos most significant early building. As well as establishing his international reputation as an architect and designer, it was the catalyst for his uniquely humanist interpretation of Modernism. Aalto and his wife Aino designed all of the sanatoriums furniture and interiors, which were designed to enhance the patients well being through both functionalism and beauty.

1931-32ARMCHAIR 41 PAIMIO Admired for its sculptural presence and its comfort, the Paimio Chair tests the limits of plywood manu-facturing. Inspired by tubular-steel furniture, Aalto instead chose birch for its natural feel and insulat-ing properties, and developed a striking organic form. In addition to aesthetics, the cantilevered shape of the armchair was also designed to make it easier for the patients to breathe.

1933BENT WOOD L-LEG

First presented at the Wood Only exhibition at Fortnum & Mason, London in 1933

Alvar Aaltos L-leg, a solid wood leg with a lami-nated part bent 90, was patented in 1933 and

quickly became a standard component of Aaltos furniture designs. The importance of the L-leg in

the philosophy of standardized furniture parts and system cannot be undervalued. The introduc-tion of the L-leg was an important milestone lead-

ing to the foundation of Artek in 1935.

1933-35VYBORG MUNICIPAL LIBRARY, RUSSIA (FORMERLY FINLAND)Alvar Aaltos Vyborg library is a masterpiece of International Modernism with a contrasting warmth from the wooden interior. Architectural solutions such as a sunken reading-well, free-flowing ceilings and cylindrical skylights, first tested in Vyborg, would later regularly appear in Aaltos works. Vyborg was also the first project where Aalto extensively employed a furnishing system based on the standard component of the bent wooden L-leg.

1935CHAIR 69

Chair 69 is one of Arteks most popular chairs. The model

was originally designed by Alvar Aalto for the Vyborg

library and has been continuously produced by Artek ever since.

1935ARTEK WAS FOUNDED BY ALVAR AND AINO AALTO, NILS-GUSTAV HAHL AND MAIRE GULLICHSENArtek was founded in 1935 by four young idealists, Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl. The business strategy of the company was to sell furniture and to promote a modern culture of living by exhibitions and other educational means. The founders of Artek advocated a new kind of environment for everyday life. They believed in a grand synthesis of the arts and wanted to make a difference in town planning as well as architecture and design.

Alvar Aalto, architect and designer (18981976)Aino Aalto, architect and designer (1894-1949)Nils Gustav Hahl, art historian (1904-1941)Maire Gullichsen, art patron (1907-1990)

1936MILAN TRIENNALE, EXHIBITION BY AINO AND ALVAR AALTOFinlands presentation at the Triennale was designed by Aino Aalto and mainly displayed pieces by the Aalto couple. Aino Aalto was awarded by the Triennale both for her stand design and glassware.

1936ARMCHAIR 400

Armchair 400 is a milestone in furni-ture design history. The sturdy seat,

wide armrests and low-slung sled base have earned it the nickname Tank

Chair. It was designed as commission work for the Milan Triennale, where it attracted both attention and awards.

1937RESTAURANT SAVOY, HELSINKI The luxurious Restaurant Savoy in central Helsinki, with interiors by Alvar and Aino Aalto, opened its doors in 1937. Aino Aaltos club chairs, Alvar Aaltos clean-lined lighting fixtures and other Artek custom-made furniture created a decorative, elegant yet intimate dining room. The Savoy remains one of Helsinkis finest restaurants today.

1938EXHIBITION ORGANIZED

BY ARTEK IN KUNSTHALLE HELSINKI

Since its foundation Artek has been deeply involved with international contemporary art, introducing many

ground breaking international artists to the Finnish public. The exhibition at Kunsthalle Helsinki was the

art sensation of the decade and featured work by Ma-tisse, Braque, Picasso and Lger among others.

1938-39VILLA MAIREA,

NOORMARKKU, FINLANDVilla Mairea is a private residence designed by Alvar and

Aino Aalto for Maire and Harry Gullichsen, ardent art collectors and promoters. Progressive and unprejudiced, they

gave the designers an open brief and an opportunity for experimentation. The result was a unique and complete

work of art, which has attained worldwide recognition as one of the greatest masterpieces of 20th-century architecture.

1936-37 TEA TROLLEY Alvar Aalto designed the tea trol-ley for home use, and shown in the living room of Villa Mairea. The piece was inspired by British tea culture as well as Japanese woodworks, which Aalto was introduced to through his more frequent travels in the 1930s.

1939WORLD EXHIBITION

IN NEW YORK, FINNISH PAVILION

BY AINO AND ALVAR AALTO

The Finnish pavilion in New York marked the first intro-duction of Aalto furniture to the American public, and is considered one of the most important Modernist exhibi-

tion designs. An architectural competition was organized for the pavilion design and the Aalto couple got a triple

victory Aaltos office won the first and second price, and Aino won the third with her own proposal.

1946Y805

Structure of side table Y805

1946 DOMUS COLLECTION BY ILMARI TAPIOVAARAIn 194647 Finnish designer and interior architect Ilmari Tapiovaara and his wife Annikki designed the furni-ture for the new student dormitory of Domus Academica. The multi-purpose Domus chair, distributed in the UK under the name Stax, was the first successful post-war design export from Finland. Over the years, millions of Domus chairs have been integrated into homes and public spaces.

1946DOMUS LOUNGE CHAIR The Domus Lounge Chair was designed by Tapiovaara for the public spaces at the Domus Academica. Initially it was not pos-sible to produce the seat and back element from one piece. In its current production the Domus Lounge Chair is made out of one plywood element, as originally designed by Tapiovaara.

1948POETRY ROOM,

HARVARD UNIVERSITY, USA

In the 1940s Alvar Aalto was a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT and regularly traveled to Boston to give lectures. In

1948 Harvard University invited Aalto to furnish a small room in the Lamont Library for poetry

readings. He combined custom made furniture including bookshelves, desks, wall panels, lattice

screens and an octagonal gramophone stand with his standard bentwood furniture and lighting.

1951 PENDANT LIGHT TW002 TRIENNALEThe TW002 (initially K2-40) was designed by Tapio Wirkkala for the Finnish exhibition at the Milan Triennale 1951. Also known as Triennale, the TW002 is a hand blown, satin opal glass cone that provides warm, ambient illumination.

1953PENDANT LIGHT A331 BEEHIVEThe A331 was designed for the University of Jyvskyl in Finland and became one of Aaltos most popular light fixtures for the home and public spaces.

1954X-LEG THE FAN

As a result of several architectural projects, Aalto designed a third

furniture leg typology. The fan-shaped X-leg is a combination of five

thin, interlinked L-legs, and was used in a new series of X-legged

stools, tables and armchairs.

1955-1962PIRKKA FAMILY Tapiovaaras inspiration for the Pirkka collection came from the Karelian vernacular furniture that he had discovered during the war. The Pirkka chairs, stools, benches and tables were designed for the home. The first in production was the Pirkka stool which was intended for cooling off after the sauna.

1956NATIONAL PENSIONS

INSTITUTE, HELSINKIAlvar Aalto designed the National Pensions Institute

complex with 310 rooms and 22 500 m2 of floor space. Aalto developed several new variants of his

standard furniture for the project along with a series of new light fittings, ceramic

wall claddings and a variety of textiles.

1950sA333 PENDANT LIGHT TURNIP The A333, also called the Turnip because of its organic shape, was used often in the National Pensions Institute. The light is reflected through the circles of the lampshades upper part and emphasizes the pendants round form.

1956-61MAISON LOUIS CARR, BAZOCHES-SUR-GUYONNE, FRANCE Alvar Aalto designed the private home for the prominent French art dealer and collector Louis Carr. This masterpiece of modern architecture, combining buildings, garden, furniture and interior design into a total work of art, is Aaltos only remaining building in France and one of his most remarkable private villas.

1950sA338 PENDANT

LIGHT BILBERRY

The A338, prominently featured in Alvar Aaltos Maison Louis Carr,

was inspired by the Finnish bilberry, a small variation of the

blueberry and supposedly one of Alvar Aaltos favorite fruits. The Bilberry is particularly

suited as a spotlight, providing direct non-diffused light.

1960TW003 PENDANT LIGHT & WIR 105 LIGHT SOURCEThe TW003 and WIR light bulb designed by Tapio Wirkkala represented a new direction for technical components in light fittings. In 1960 Wirkkala won the Grand Prix at Milan Triennale for his WIR light bulb.

1964KARUSELLI LOUNGE CHAIR & OTTOMANFinnish designer Yrj Kukkapuros modern de-sign classic Karuselli was a result of extensive experimentation and a novel combination of ergonomics, new materials and production meth-ods. Artek reintroduced the Karuselli in 2014.

1974SEDIA 1

In 1974 Italian designer and thinker Enzo Mari initiated

Autoprogettazione, a collection of furniture made

from the most basic and affordable materials.