alvar aalto design Alvar Aalto

Alvar Aalto: Finnish Architect and Designer (1898-1976), Finland. Born in Kuortane in 1898, Alvar Aalto made his name as a master of modern architecture through his unique style and exceptional talent. He worked closely with his wife Aino Aalto. Aalto designed concert halls, libraries, hospitals, museums and private homes, among others, all around the world. His works were exhibited in the New York Museum of Modern Art already in the 1930s. Aalto also designed several objects which were originally intended to become parts of buildings and decorations. However, the objects took on a life of their own.

We at Stardust have a profound love for Alvar Aalto design so make sure to check our Aalto Collection. Born in the arctic north, Finnish designer Alvar Aalto was a central figure in international modernism, architecture and design.  Many of his designs are included in the collection of MoMA New York.  Alvar Aalto's design has its own aesthetic expression and appearance. The foundations are purity, simplicity and naturalness, themes which recur in Alvar Aalto's design for Artek. Look at any prominent Alvar Aalto design icon and you'll notice that it has certain distinctive characteristics. The main ones are simple lines, successfully combined with often ingenious functionality. We're talking about products that are so simple, that they're incredibly advanced. Each detail has a purpose, each solution a reason. Many of his furniture and lighting designs, such as the Paimio Chair, Aalto's E60 Stool and the Aalto A 331 Beehive Lamp, are internationally recognized design classics. These beautiful icons truly capture the spirit of Alvar Aalto's design philosophy.

Through the innovations in form and line that were born in his furniture designs, Alvar Aalto's name has also become important in the history of design. In fact, Aalto first achieved fame in Continental Europe as a furniture designer, and only later on as an architect. His contribution to furniture design was among his foremost achievements in its own right, and it sowed the seed from which many of his architectural ideas sprang forth. Alvar Aalto's furniture and lighting pieces form the basis of the Artek range.

Aalto's architecture is distinctively Finnish. It is marked by a warm humanity and strong individuality. His buildings derive their special aesthetic character from their dynamic relationship with their natural surroundings, their human scale, superbly executed details, unique treatment of materials and ingenious use of lighting. Like all great art, however, Aalto's architecture transcends national boundaries. His work is not the exclusive property of Finland: it forms a part of a common cultural heritage of European and worldwide significance. Alvar Aalto began designing furnishings as a natural and important extension of his architectural thinking. His first modern piece of furniture was created in 1931-32 for the Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Paimio, which proved to be his international breakthrough. Artek was set up in 1935 to market and sell Alvar and Aino Aalto's furniture, lamps and textiles, particularly on international markets where Artek focused its operations from the initial stages.