| Alvar Aalto was born in Kuortane, Finland in 1908, and | | | | Helsinki when he won a lighting competition in 1920 for |
| he lived until 1976. He was a renowned Finnish | | | | his lamps. The lamps he designed are considered as |
| architect and designer of furniture. His studies led him | | | | modern today as the day in which he designed them. |
| to architectural school in Helskini, where he graduated | | | | Aalto is still a highly regarded name in the world of |
| in 1921. However, his career did not begin well in | | | | lighting and lamps. |
| Helskini, and so he moved on to a smaller town to | | | | Alvar Aalto was a very talented designer. He designed |
| start an office and begin his career. | | | | his first furniture when he was still in college. He |
| To assist him, Alvar employed a young woman who | | | | opened his office and was able to bag an order to |
| designed glass and furniture and whom he later | | | | design furniture for six churches of Finland. The widely |
| married. There were two children from this marriage. | | | | known Paimio Sanatorium including its furniture and |
| Aalto continued his design career in Finland, and | | | | lamps were designed by him. He often designed "Aalto |
| created a number of renowned landmarks in the 20's | | | | tables (Aalto bord)" to furnish many of his structures. |
| and 30's. In the latter part of the 1940's, he taught at | | | | At this time he started to patent his methods for |
| the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Among his | | | | bending wood and he was awarded several patents in |
| most renowned furniture (finska möbler) items | | | | many countries for this new form of laminated |
| are his highly esteemed tables and lighting fixtures. | | | | bent-plywood furniture. The Alvar Aalto 901 tea cart is |
| Alvar Aalto, Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen and | | | | famous for this bent wood construction along with |
| Nils-Gustav Hahl started a company named Artek to | | | | various chairs and Aalto tables. Together with other |
| design and build furniture. Tables, desks, side chairs, | | | | famous designers such as Bruno Mathsson and |
| lounge chairs, stools, armchairs and children furniture in | | | | Yngve Ekstrom, Aalto became renowned for this style |
| classic designs were designed by Alvar Aalto Artek. | | | | of furniture design which contributed greatly to the |
| He was a student at the University of Technology in | | | | concept of "Scandinavian Modern" design. |