Alvar Aalto Furniture

Book excerpt: "The story of Alvar Aalto's furniture, from his first known work in 1919 to the latest bentwood variations by Artek, has been reconstructed here in four articles. Mr. Igor Herler, architect and scholar, reveals hitherto unknown designs of Aalto's youth ; Mr. Göran Schildt, Ph.D., author and Aalto's biographer, studies the evolution of his "trademark", the bentwood furniture, and the creation of the Artek company ; Ms. Marja-Liisa Parko, interior architect, formerly employed in the Artek Design Studio, recalls the relations between Aalto and the Artek Studio and touches on some of the technical aspects of production ; and finally, Ms. Elissa Aalto, Alvar's wife and partner, in collaboration with Ms. Marja-Riitta Norri, writes on fixed furniture in Aalto's architecture as an organic extension of his designs for standard furniture." -- p. 11.