Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is a Finnish architect and designer, who was actively working from the 1920’s until the 1970’s. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles, glassware, sculptures and paintings. Alvar Aalto worked in close co-operation with his wife Aino Aalto, and many of the designs were created in collaboration. They also founded the Finnish furniture company Artek together with Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl. Alvar Aalto is world renowned for his modernist and functionalist designs, sometimes even overshadowing other significant Finnish designers of the same era.
Alvar Aalto’s furniture designs can be described as Scandinavian Modern a style that is defined by the use of materials, simplification and technical experimentation.
Many of his furniture designs, like the Model 42 armchair, feature technically innovative and masterfully bent birch plywood that makes them light and surprisingly comfortable to sit in even without cushioning. Aalto’s work also includes more modest and practical designs such as the Model 68 chair. A small, casual side chair that is a common household item in Finnish homes and public spaces and an iconic example of functionalist furniture design.
Many of Alvar Aaltos furniture designs were created as a part of a larger architecture design project, like the Model 401 armchair that was a part of the interior decoration of Paimio Sanatorium.
Reference sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Aalto
