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Alvar Aalto
Born: February 3, 1898.\ Death: May 11, 1976.\ Renowned works: Paimio chair, Stool 60 stool, Golden Bell A330S pendant and Hand Grenade A110 pendant.\ Education: Architecture at Helsinki University of Technology.
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto is undoubtedly one of Finland's greatest designers of all time. He is best known for the Aalto vase and his birch wood furniture, including the Stool 60 - a classic that has been copied countless times. Like many architects of his time, Alto could do much more than just design houses. For him, it was important that a building appeared as a whole. He started designing furniture and lighting to match his architectural style - and with great success.
His biggest inspiration for lighting was the sun's rays and the effects of sunlight. In general, nature was a great source of inspiration for Alvar Alto, which is evident in his architecture and design. Like his furniture, his lamps have achieved a classic status. His timeless designs are particularly known for the functional approach that was often the starting point when he embarked on a new project.
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The story
The son of Selma Matilda and Johan Henrik Aalto, Alvar Aalto was born in Kuortane, Finland in 1898. His family moved to central Finland when he was 5 years old, where he completed his basic education at 18. He then took drawing lessons from a local artist named Jonas Heiska and went on to study architecture at Helsinki University of Technology.
While studying, he built his first piece of architecture; a house for his parents in Alajärvi. During the same period, he made his first trip abroad via Stockholm to Gothenburg, where he worked with architect Arvid Bjerke. He later returned to Jyväskylä where he opened an architectural office that had great success building several small family houses.
With an increasing workload, Aalto moved his office to Helsinki in 1933, where he built a shared house office. In 1924, Alvar married the young architect Aino, who worked in his office. Their honeymoon went to Italy, where the newlyweds visited Venice and Florence. Italian architecture made a big impression on Alvar Aalto - especially the small country churches. This is reflected in his late architecture with its asymmetrical structure, clean white walls and rustic character.
The start of Artek
Because of Aalto's strong focus on the totality of a space, designing furniture, home accessories and lighting for his buildings came very naturally to him. He wasn't very enthusiastic about the modern metal chairs and was looking for a material that would make the chairs more comfortable. The solution was molded wood, which Aaltos is still known for today. In the 1930s, he invented a production method that made it possible to bend and splice wood. He experimented with organic shapes to solve complicated problems. For example, the Paimio chair, which, according to Alvar, had a slope that helped ease breathing in tuberculosis patients.
His furniture was exhibited in London and Milan, where it received a lot of attention. Along with his success came a large demand for his furniture, but he wasn't interested in doing business and turned down all inquiries. A representative from his furniture factory in England got in touch with Alvar's good friend, Niels-Gustav Hahl. In collaboration with Marie Gullichsen, they wanted to meet the demand for the furniture.
The Finnish company Artek was therefore founded in 1935 by Alvar Aalto himself, his wife Aino Aalto, Nils-Gustav Hahl and Marie Gullichsen. Their mission was "to sell furniture and promote modern living through exhibitions and other educational means". This was the start of Artek, which today sells furniture, home accessories and lighting.
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