Artek Alvar Aalto - Armchair No.42

Design Alvar Aalto, 1932
Bent birch plywood
Made in Finland by Artek

"Objects are made to be completed by the human mind." -Alvar Aalto

This piece is an re-edition of the original design.

Another sculptural chair which seems to test the limits of bent plywood manufacturing. This model was first shown at an exhibition at the Nordic Building forum in 1932. The chair's framework consists of cantilevered laminated wood legs (which flex for your sitting comfort), between which rides the seat-a thin sheet of plywood slightly curved at both top and bottom. Aalto chose to use native birch for its natural feel and insulating properties.

Alvar Aalto was a highly talented architect and an eager spokesman for the international modernist movement. Aalto's designs were innovative and radical and became known for his experimental approach to bending wood, which greatly influenced American designers Charles & Ray Eames and Finnish-born Eero Saarinen. His style became known as humanist modernism. Alvar Aalto's dialogue with nature, architecture, design and the human being has become a living legacy.

The framework is natural lacquered birch, the seat is available lacquered in your choice of either black or white.

23.6" w | 29.5" d | 28.3" h | seat: 14.2" h

alvar aalto