Mid-Century Finnish Furniture

[Mangrove]

This bilingual Finnish-English short film shows how "ASKO" furnitures were made in 1960.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Flooring is made out of heartwood of Scots pine.

As much as I love U.S. Southwest style, that room is the kind I'd love to have. But it has to come with that view as well!

 

[MissNathalieVintage]

Refinishing Vintage/Mid-Century Wood Furniture https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK7HTTS81uwNhVFNabaHo247fKA6NfAgj

 

[Mangrove]

An interesting detail can be found from the film illustrating the 1961 Fair: Director's office with then 32 years old Barcelona chairs.

 

[Mangrove]

Some sofas and chairs by less known Finnish manufacturers and unknown designers. Taken from a 1961 catalogue. The wood used in these furniture was mahogany, except for the lower left lounge chair "EPE", where European beech was also an option besides mahogany.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Similar furniture sold in the United States as "Danish Modern" style in the fifties and sixties. Out of fashion in the seventies, eighties and nineties. Wish I had a nice ensemble to compliment my 1962 SABA Breisgau console 16 tube stereo.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I'm told that the stripped down, unadorned style was created in Scandinavia during WW2 because hardware and skilled craftsmen were hard to find. But they had plenty of wood. So designers created furniture that could be produced with the minimum of equipment, metal adornment and skilled labor.

 

[Edward]

Interesting how open plan the showhomes are. There's quite a lot of stuff in IKEA these days that fits that general design vibe too.

 

[Mangrove]

I'm told that the stripped down, unadorned style was created in Scandinavia during WW2 because hardware and skilled craftsmen were hard to find.

Many mid-century Finnish designers drew their inspiration from Finnish peasant homes of the 19th century. Ilmari Tapiovaara's "Pirkka" furnitures (1955-) were merely modern versions from the table and bench shown in the photograph below. Timo Sarpaneva's cast iron pot from 1960 can be also traced back to these peasant homes.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Seurasaari

 

[Mangrove]

Cover of a book printed in 1957. Notice the use of traditional spinning wheel distaffs as decorative items.

 

[Panadora]

Apropos Scandinavian design. This Danish 1952s table just made £602.500 at an auction :eeek:

 

[Mangrove]

1970 film illustrating different furnitures manufactured by Finnish Tehokaluste. Most of the models shown were designed in the late 1950s or early 1960s:
- 02:38 - 14:17. Office furnitures.
- 14:18 - 17:30. Waiting room furnitures.