26/09/2026
ALVAR AALTO STOOL 60 1933
Bent solid birch, solid birch, birch plywood
Manufacturer: O.Y. Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas A.B.
44 x D: 38 cm
Provenance: Paimio Sanatorium
Coll. no: T0499
Alvar Aalto designed his famous L-leg in the early 1930s; one exhibition brochure cites the year 1931. Working with master carpenter Otto Korhonen, he developed a revolutionary wood-bending technique that preserves—or even enhances—the material's rigidity. The leg enabled the joining of horizontal and vertical elements in a completely new way. The first chairs and tables featuring the L-leg were unveiled to the public in 1933 and were immediately incorporated into Aalto’s architectural projects, such as the Viipuri Library and the Paimio Sanatorium—the latter being the origin of the stool shown in the image. Over the years, the stools have been produced in various versions using both birch and beech. Surface finishes have included linoleum in various colors, fine wood veneers, and paintwork featuring even highly exotic color combinations.
