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

The chairs were imported and distributed in Britain by Finmar and all six retain their original Finmar labels. The set originally came from a school library in the North East of England, where the chairs had remained together. Their institutional history is clearly visible in the remarkably consistent colour, wear and patina across the set.

The Model 2 is one of Aalto’s earliest experiments with laminated birch furniture. Each 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 chairs a distinctive open construction. A particularly beautiful detail is the finger-jointed connection where the legs meet the curved arm supports, clearly expressing the construction rather than concealing it.

This set has an unusual detail that we have rarely encountered on the Model 2. Each chair has an additional stretcher running between the front and rear legs on either side. This is not normally found on the model and may have been specified or added to provide greater strength for institutional use, where the chairs would have been subjected to considerably heavier and more continuous use than in a domestic setting. Whatever its precise origin, the detail is consistent across all six chairs and forms an interesting part of the history of this particular set.

The chairs can also be stacked in an unusual way. By turning one chair upside down, the arms interlock with those of the chair beneath it, allowing the chairs to be arranged in pairs. Although this may not have been the primary intention of the design, the interlocking curved arms create a remarkably sculptural arrangement when the chairs are stacked.

All six chairs have been carefully cleaned and waxed and are structurally solid. The birch has developed a deep golden-brown patina through decades of use, with considerable variation and depth to the surfaces. In places the original polished finish has worn completely through to the timber beneath, particularly around the arms, seats and other areas that have received the greatest contact.

There are numerous scratches, dings, dents, marks and areas of wear throughout the set, exactly as we would expect from chairs that spent many years in a school library. We have deliberately retained these surfaces rather than attempting to refinish them. For us, the depth and variation of the patina is one of the most beautiful aspects of the chairs and provides a very visible record of their long institutional use.

We have dealt in Alvar Aalto furniture for many years and have also collected his work ourselves. Finding an original set of six early Model 2 chairs that has remained together is unusual; finding a set where all six retain their Finmar labels, together with the school-library provenance and uncommon stretcher construction, makes this a particularly interesting group.

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.