Alvar Aalto - Finland's Master Designer
Born in Kuortane, Finland in 1898, Alvar Aalto was a world renowned Finnish architect and furniture designer. He went to school in Helsinki to study architecture and graduated in 1921. Alvar started his career in Helsinki, which is the Finnish Capital, but the demand for his work was minimal. As a result he founded an office in a small town to continue his work, where he worked until he passed away in Helsinki in 1976.
To assist him, Alvar employed a young woman who designed glass and furniture and whom he later married. There were two children from this marriage. Aalto continued his design career in Finland, and created a number of renowned landmarks in the 20's and 30's. In the latter part of the 1940's, he taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Among his most renowned furniture (finska möbler) items are his highly esteemed tables and lighting fixtures.
Alvar Aalto, Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen and Nils-Gustav Hahl started a company named Artek to design and build furniture. Tables, desks, side chairs, lounge chairs, stools, armchairs and children furniture in classic designs were designed by Alvar Aalto Artek. He was a student at the University of Technology in Helsinki when he won a lighting competition in 1920 for his lamps. The lamps he designed are considered as modern today as the day in which he designed them. Aalto is still a highly regarded name in the world of lighting and lamps.
Alvar Aalto was a very talented designer. He designed his first furniture when he was still in college. He opened his office and was able to bag an order to design furniture for six churches of Finland. The widely known Paimio Sanatorium including its furniture and lamps were designed by him. He often designed "Aalto tables (Aalto bord)" to furnish many of his structures.
Alvar styled his first furnishings even prior to graduation. His innovative structural design office received a large contract for the design creation of furnishings for 6 houses of worship in Finland. In 1929 he styled the well-known Paimio Sanatorium in additional to all the furnishings and light fixtures for it. He styled tailor-made "Aalto tables" as well as additional furnishings for every one of his structures.
The Father of Modernism in the Nordic countries, Alvar Aalto referred to his style as "Organic Functionalism". He has left a significant impact on the furniture design and architecture fields. He and his wife also designed some well known glassware, including the Aalto Vase (Aalto vas). The final compliment he received was the introduction of the Alvar Aalto Medal by the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Finnish Association of Architects. This medal is granted for important contributions to creative architects.
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Alvar Aalto's stamp on the world was not limited to furniture (möbler) design; he is remembered as much for his lamp models that have endured for over 80 years as for his classic tables, chairs, and children's furniture. Once in his new architecture office, he received a huge order to design his Aalto furniture for six churches in Finland. He designed the well known Paimio Sanatorium in 1929. He also designed each piece of furniture for the interior (inredning) of the structure, as well as the Aalto lamp. For many structures he designed, he also designed custom furniture for it.
Published November 19th, 2007
Filed in Career
