50101 chair

The 50101 is a chair made of solid birch and bent plywood, designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and master cabinetmaker Otto Korhonen. Designed and produced between 1929 and 1930, the chair was first presented at the Turku Fair in 1929 and is considered a predecessor to the later model 403 hallway chair from the 1930s.

Towards the end of the 1920s, Alvar Aalto began exploring the bending of solid wood together with Otto Korhonen. This early collaboration marked a turning point in both design and wood-processing technology – a time when bent wood revolutionised furniture making and laid the foundation for the rise of Finnish modernism. The outcome of their work was the creation of the legendary L-leg.

Alvar Aalto

Otto Korhonen

Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas Korhonen was founded in Turku, Finland in 1910. The furniture factory was founded by Finnish carpenters Otto Korhonen, Otto Suonperä, David Kinnunen and Fredrik Lundqvist. In addition to furniture, the HKT Korhonen also manufactured construction materials, such as window frames and doors.

The story of HKT Korhonen is deeply intertwined with Artek. Alvar Aalto’s architectural office began collaborating with the HKT Korhonen in the late 1920s and the factory started to manufacture Aalto’s furniture for various projects, such as Paimio Sanatorium. Simultaneously, Alvar Aalto also began experimenting with bending solid wood together with carpenter Otto Korhonen. The fruitful collaboration resulted in an L-leg which became to be the standard component for Aalto’s furniture design. 

The HKT Korhonen furniture factory was owned by the family Korhonen until 2014 when it was acquired by Artek. With the new ownership, the furniture factory was also given a new name; A-Factory. The majority of Artek furniture is still made at the factory in Kaarina, Finland.