"31" Armchair

Alvar Aalto Finnish
Manufacturer Artek Oy Finnish

Not on view

Aalto created this lightweight, economical, and comfortable chair by suspending a scrolled seating panel between two U-shaped wood frames. It is built as a free cantilever, which allows the chair to be supported without back legs, a principle previously applied only to metal furniture. The piece is composed of laminated plywood, a material as strong as bent tubular steel but warmer and more textured. Flowing organic contours accentuate the chair’s appeal to a prospective sitter.

"31" Armchair, Alvar Aalto (Finnish, Kuortane 1898–1976 Helsinki), Laminated and painted birch plywood and bentwood

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