Many of the most mundane - and even cheap - pieces of furniture in our homes have been inspired by the great names in design. But what do you know about the originals? Here, in the first part of a series on design icons, we celebrate the work of three great names and tell you where to buy the original designs. For copies, just look around your high street...
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was born February 3, 1898 in Kuortane, Finland and is considered by many to be one of the founding fathers of Nordic modernism. He graduated in architecture from the Helsinki University of Technology in 1921 and began practicing a couple of years later, working closely throughout his life with his wife Aino Aalto (formerly Marsio). Although renowned for his striking architectural work it was his glassware designs and use of laminated wood that Alvar will be most remembered for.
Alvar was fascinated by the versatility of wood and was constantly looking to create natural organic pieces. His work with laminates really tested the limits of the material and technology in the 1930s, and while today his irregular lines and tight curves are easily achievable, and imitations cheaply available, at the time they were nothing short of sensational.
This organic approach influenced almost every aspect of his work over the years and this can be clearly seen in his fluid range of glassware for Iittalia.
This 60 Stool from Iconic Furniture And Accessory Designs is a simple yet instantly recognisable design that encapsulates Alvar's love of bent laminated wood and basic utilitarian design. It also solved the problem of cheaply attaching vertical legs to a horizontal seat. Commissioned in 1933 for the Viipuri Library, it was originally available in all natural, or a choice of black, blue and red seat tops.
The Savoy Vase, named after the Savoy restaurant in Helsinki, Alvar's home town, it later became known simply as the Aalto... but it was originally designed in 1937 for a competition at the Paris World's Fair, and know as the 'Eskimo woman's leather breeches'. Thankfully, that name never stuck; Aalto, which translates as 'wave' from Finnish is a far more apt title for this fluid, and now world-famous, design. Today it's manufactured by Iittalia.
Savoy (Aalto) vase, from £69, and the 60 Stool, from £119, are both available from Skandium.
Also at Conran.
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