Aalto stool E60, blue linoleum - birch

The stool designed by Alvar Aalto is one of the icons of furniture design. Aalto’s stackable stool was presented for the first time in 1933 and it was a sensation in the design world of his time. The stool’s L-leg was revolutionary for its technical realization and it represented a boost for all the modern Scandinavian design. To bend the leg of Aalto’s stool, the same technique is still in use: a piece of straight, solid birch was sawn open at the end in the direction of the fibres, forming the shape of a fan. Thin pieces of plywood were then glued in the grooves. This structure makes it possible to bend the wood by heating or steaming the desired corner/angle and when dry it will have a very strong texture that can be easily joined to the seat of the stool. Aalto stool is still today a beautiful genious product, whose simple shape will always be modern. Stools are perfect extra chairs, easily stackable as a beautiful tower when they are not needed. At the same time, the stool can be used as a small table, for instance next to an armchair or in the bedroom.

Alvar Aalto

Artek was founded in 1935 by four young idealists – Alvar and Aino Aalto, Nils-Gustav Hahl and Maire Gullichsen published a design manifesto inspired by functionalism, stating that Artek’s aim was “to sell furniture and to promote modern culture of habitation by exhibitions and other means”. Since its foundation, Artek has played in the intersection of design, architecture, and art, making Finnish design and Alvar Aalto's furniture known all over the world.