A rare early Alvar Aalto Model 2 Library Armchair, designed in 1929–30 and produced in Finland by Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Oy, Turku.

This chair was originally one of a set of seven that we acquired together from a school library in the North East of England. Six of the chairs were subsequently sold as a set and can be seen in our archive, while this example was retained separately. Like the other chairs from the group, it retains its original Finmar label and has the same remarkable depth of colour and patina developed through decades of institutional use.

The Model 2 is one of Aalto’s earliest experiments with laminated birch furniture. The chair combines a birch-veneered plywood seat and back with a solid and laminated birch frame. The curved arms continue around the back of the chair, while the shaped supports beneath them give the chair its distinctive open construction. A beautiful detail is the finger-jointed connection where the legs meet the curved arm supports, clearly expressing the construction rather than concealing it.

This chair also shares the unusual stretcher construction found across the original group. Additional stretchers run between the front and rear legs on either side, a detail not normally encountered on the Model 2. Given the chairs’ school-library provenance, it is possible that these were specified or added to provide greater strength for institutional use, although their precise origin is unknown.

For us, one of the most striking aspects of this chair is its surface. The birch has developed an extraordinary depth of golden-brown colour, with considerable variation across the frame, seat and back. The seat in particular carries a wonderfully visible record of use, with scratches, marks, wear and areas where the original polished surface has worn through over many decades.

The chair has been carefully cleaned and waxed but deliberately not refinished. We wanted to preserve the depth and variation of the existing surface rather than remove the evidence of its long life. Structurally it is in excellent condition and remains strong and completely usable.

The original Finmar label remains attached beneath the seat. Together with the school-library provenance, unusual stretcher construction, finger-jointed details and exceptional original patina, it makes this a particularly good example of one of Aalto’s earliest chair designs.

We have dealt in Alvar Aalto furniture for many years and have also collected his work ourselves. This is one of those pieces that, as collectors, we are genuinely tempted to keep. The extraordinary depth of colour and patina is difficult to fully capture in photographs and is even more apparent when the chair is seen in person. We will be genuinely sorry to see it go.

Viewing is warmly welcomed at our West London showroom.

High-resolution photographs, detailed condition reports and video inspections are available upon request.

We offer local, national and international shipping.

Please contact us for further information or to arrange a private viewing.