The Paimio Sanatorium is considered Aalto's most significant early building. As well as establishing his international reputation, it was also the catalyst for his uniquely humanist interpretation of Modernism.
Solid wood leg, bent 90°, with bent part laminated. Patented in 1933.
The Viipuri library is considered one of Aalto's most important and beautiful buildings where the pure white functionalist style contrasts with the warmth of the wood interior. It is also the first project where Aalto extensively employed a furnishing system based on a standard component, the bent wooden L-Leg.
World Exhibition in Paris
Finnish Pavilion by Aino and Alvar Aalto
International launch of the L-leg.
Luxurious restaurant interior design by Aino Aalto, custom furniture by Artek. This restaurant still exists and remains one of Helsinki's finest restaurants.
Exhibition organized by Artek in Kunsthalle Helsinki
The exhibition featured work by Matisse, Braque, Derain, Picasso, Rouault, Léger, Utrillo, Masson, Bonnard, Vuillard and Marie Laurencin, among others. The exhibition was the art sensation of the decade in Helsinki.
Villa Mairea is a private residence designed by Alvar Aalto for Maire and Harry Gullichsen. Although Villa Mairea is extremely luxurious, Aalto also considered it an experimental building where he could try out design solutions and materials which were applied to later buildings.
A leg with two 90° bends, originally made from an Aalto L-leg sawn in two. Nowadays the Y-leg is made from a laminated bend. Used in different sizes in chairs and tables.
Fan-shaped leg made from sawing an Aalto L-leg into five parts. Nowadays the X-leg is made from a laminated bend. The legs are dowelled into the seat or the table-top.
Pavilions made for international exhibitions on design and architecture are an integral part of Artek's identity and ideology. The Artek Pavilion, “the Space of Silence”, was designed by Shigeru Ban for installation at the 2007 Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. After Milan, the pavilion has also been erected in Helsinki, in the area between the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum. December of 2007, the pavilion was reconstructed at Design Miami.
