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Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto began designing furnishings in the late 1920s as a natural extension of his architectural projects. To him, a piece of furniture was not an isolated object part; it was part of a harmonious interior. In fact, he described furniture and architecture as branches of the same tree.
Born in Finland in 1898, invoking nature was typical--and natural--for Aalto. Finland's forests and lake landscapes were an unending source of inspiration and spiritual renewal for him. Nature offered countless themes to which he applied his own interpretation.
From this philosophical foundation, he and a handful of fellow designers started a movement against what they viewed as the dehumanizing impact of the Machine Age. Aalto felt rapid industrialization was leading to social alienation where people were slipping into a secondary role. So he brought a human perspective to design and, in the process, became a pioneer of modernism with a clear message: Aesthetics and functionality belong to all. His humane design philosophy was a strong influence on other modern designers, including Charles and Ray Eames.
Aalto obtained a degree in architecture from Helsinki University in 1921 and married architect Aino Marsio in 1924. They worked closely together for 25 years to bring humanity to design. They viewed art and technology as inextricably linked and developed innovative production methods that allowed him to express his vision on a mass-produced scale. His intent was to create the broadest selection of products from the simplest selection of design elements.
Their most significant innovation was a process of molding white birch into organic, artistic, curvilinear shapes. Wood, particularly birch, was the natural material for Aalto. Prevalent in Finland's forests, birch is warm and durable as well as a renewable resource.
In 1935, Aalto and his colleagues in modernism founded the Artek Furniture Company in order to meet the growing demand for Aalto's designs. But Artek was more than a commercial enterprise; it was an industrial arts center where the art and design trends of the time converged as an expression of its founders' modernist spirit.
Over his 50-year career, Aalto designed nearly 60 furniture pieces, and many are still produced by Artek. They are renowned as classics of modernism and remain popular and relevant today.
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