Take a Seat poster, 50 x 70 cm

In 2023, the Paimio Sanatorium and Grafia, the Association of Visual Communication Designers in Finland, celebrated their 90th anniversaries by organising a poster competition where participants were invited to explore Aino and Alvar Aalto's vision of the human relationship with the environment. The Paimio Sanatorium 90 – Human Perspective poster competition received hundreds of submissions from around the world, and the awarded entries are introduced in this collection. Printed on high-quality paper, the posters spread joy around them while conveying the message of well-being and care cherished by the Aaltos.

The Take a Seat poster designed by Rosa Aamunkoi draws on the colours and details of the Paimio sanatorium's unique hospital environment. Just the Aaltos used an array of colours in the sanatorium, the poster's colour scheme features yellow like the floors and staircase of the main building, turquoise like the said staircase's railings, and a coral orange similar to the one in some of the sanatorium's furniture. The abstract poster can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but perhaps you can find the hidden piece of Aalto furniture – the Paimio chair.

Rosa Aamunkoi's Take a Seat won the third prize in the Paimio Sanatorium 90 poster competition.

• Read the story: Meet the winners of the Paimio Sanatorium 90 poster competition! >

Rosa Aamunkoi

The Paimio Sanatorium Foundation (Paimion parantola -säätiö), established in 2020, is dedicated to developing and preserving the Paimio Sanatorium, designed by Aino and Alvar Aalto. The foundation aims to protect the architectural and cultural-historical value of the Paimio Sanatorium, completed in 1933, while preserving the integrity of the sanatorium's buildings and furnishings. The founding members of the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation include the Hospital District of Southwest Finland, the Finnish government, the Alvar Aalto Foundation and the cities of Paimio and Turku.