Siena Collection
Tracing Architectural Patterns
How travels across Italy informed the Aaltos’ work
Alvar Aalto was famously enamoured of Tuscany – its picturesque landscapes and rolling hills, its medieval cities and stunning architectures. In 1924, he and his wife Aino honeymooned to the region, stopping in Florence, Verona, and possibly even Siena. Over the decades of their marriage and collaboration, they returned to the country on many occasions. These trips left a powerful impression on the Aaltos and influenced many of their works, like the Säynätsalo Town Hall or the Rautatalo Office Building.
The graphic, geometric Siena textile pattern created by Alvar Aalto was even named after the Italian city he adored. Legend has it that the inspiration came from Siena's medieval cathedral on Piazza del Duomo.
Since its introduction in 1954, the pattern has always been a staple in both the Artek catalogue and Aalto interiors, offered in an evolving variety of colours.
The three most recent versions of Siena are inspired by the hues and tones of the Aaltos' material world. Two of them are variations of a pattern recently rediscovered in the archive; fondly nicknamed “Shadow Siena,” it features off-grid layering of two colourways – as though one were the shadow cast by the other.
One of Alvar Aalto's favourite materials for exterior and interior walls and flooring was red brick. He used it at the Baker House dormitory at MIT, for example, and at the Experimental House in Muuratsalo, Finland, where he explored the material’s full potential, the different shapes and patterns it can form.
Marble was another one of Aalto's favourite materials in the later phase of his career – most famously incorporated at Finlandia Hall, but also at the nearby National Pensions Institute.
Natural hues often dominated Aalto interiors, including the Aalto architecture studio in Munkkiniemi. From light wood to raffia fabric, a sandy tone was one of the constants in the Aaltos’ work.
The materials, patterns, and colours the Aaltos encountered on their travels to Italy informed the design of their buildings and interiors – which, in turn, informed the design of the individual elements inside.
How the Aaltos' colours are translated into the Siena pattern
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The importance of red brick in Alvar Aaltos' work is expressed in the brick/sand version of the Siena pattern.
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The grey/light grey version pays homage to Aalto’s use of marble and his affinity for the play of shadows.
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Recalling the natural fibres favoured by the Aaltos, this version of Siena fabric features a sand/white colour scheme.
