Design Moment Aalvar Alto helped define the Modernist era.

D E S I G N M O M E N T

ALVAR A ALTO

A humane philosophy guided this Modernist architect and furniture designer and his era-defi ning creations, writes Chris Pearson.

Helsinki, 1936: Finnish architect and designer Hugo Alvar Aalto was making sketches in his studio for a curvaceous glass vase, an entry for glass-makers Iittala at the Paris World Fair. At fi rst his freehand designs had sharp curves, which couldn’t be created with existing moulding techniques, so he sot ened them, making them more fl owing.

Where he derived his inspiration for the free-form vase is unclear. While some speculate it may have been Finland’s coastline, his sketches were titled ‘Eskimo Woman’s Leather Breeches’. As well as the Fair of 1937, Aalto specifi ed the vase for Helsinki’s luxurious Restaurant Savoy, hence the name Savoy vase.

He was a busy man. In 1935 he co-founded furniture company Artek, the name combining ‘art’ and ‘technology’. Its stated aim was to foster humane and innovative design using cutting-edge manufacturing and Modernist principles.

But its immediate goal was to satisfy demand for the furniture Aalto had already designed; he had been shaping sinuous forms in timber, too. A fan of Thonet’s bentwood chairs, he had taken to moulding birch and plywood into chairs and tables. In 1932, he created arguably his most famous piece, the cantilevered birchwood Armchair 41 for the Paimio Sanatorium. Designed for tuberculosis patients who needed to sit for long periods, the Paimio was

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With its wood a Armc heralde direct mate

1933

Stool 60’s unique bent legs became the distinctive feature of all Aalto furniture.

1937

The Savoy vase is still in production, and is considered a classic design.

1936

The simple lines of the Tea Trolley 901.

1937

Lounge Chair 43 also debuted at the Paris World Fair. unadorned and embodied sweeping curves, just like the Savoy vase.

Aalto also exploited the fl exibility and resilience of bent wood to create, in 1933, the three-legged Stool 60; in 1935, the High Chair K65 and High Stool 64; in 1932, cantilevered chairs such as the Armchair 42 and in 1936 the Armchair 400; in 1935, a range of dining chairs and tables and in 1937 the Lounge Chair 43. The Tea Trolley 901 of 1936, with white laminated oversized toy-town wheels contrasting with the birch frame, showed his whimsical side as well as a commitment to pure, functional design.

Meanwhile, he designed commercial and apartment buildings, of which about 300 were built throughout Scandinavia as well as in the US, Italy and Germany. As with his furniture and vase, they boasted clean, fl owing and uncluttered lines. There was little adornment, with the structure becoming the decoration.

Sydney retailer Anibou has carried Artek since 1988 and has sold Iittala products for 20 years. “Aalto was a pioneer of the Modernist movement and his philosophy of responsible consumption, that things should be designed to last, remains relevant today,” says director Alex Lance. “There is also a modesty to his designs, a purity. They are works of art.”

W H A T I T M E A N S T O U S Given Artek and the Savoy vase are celebrating their eighth decade, these octogenarians are remarkably spry. The Savoy, arguably the most iconic vase ever, has been produced by Iittala in every colour of the rainbow and size – the current catalogue features more than 40 options. Aalto’s designs for Artek are available in more than 60 countries, from Sydney to Stockholm, Seattle to Seoul. But Australians are most fond of the classic Stool 60 and Chair 66, says Lance. #

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