Scandinavian Design Highlight: Alvar Aalto Paimio Chair

Alvar Aalto is the most famous Finnish architect and Paimio Chair, also known as chair 41 is the best-known furniture designed by Alvar Aalto. Paimio is a town in southwestern Finland where Alvar Aalto designed a tuberculosis sanatorium and all its furnishings in 1928-1933. Since the 30′s the Paimio Sanatorium has been acclaimed internationally as a major modern architectural achievement. It just happens to be that I am as Paimioan as a girl can be. I was born and raised in Paimio, only a few miles from Aalto’s modern hospital, and my dear Mummo (grandma) actually worked in the famous sanatorium Alvar Aalto designed. Originally the Paimio Chair was used in the patients’ lounge, and the angle of the back of the Paimio armchair was designed to ease the breathing of the patients, encouraging them to lie back instead of having to sit upright. Today the Paimio Chair can be found from the homes of modern design lovers and in numerous museums including the Museum of Modern Art. The modern design, beautiful lines combined with sitting comfort is something that rarely can be combined as well as in the Paimio Chair. The chair is made from birch and available with black, white and natural birch colored seat. Sitting on Aalto’s Paimio chair in an experience, and it will be a conversation piece as well as has the quality to be the design highlight of any space. The Alvar Aalto Paimio Chair is available at Finnstyle.com for 3,750$.