Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Mid-Century Finnish Furniture

Mangrove

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Finland
This bilingual Finnish-English short film shows how "ASKO" furnitures were made in 1960.

 
Last edited:

Benzadmiral

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,815
Location
The Swamp
Flooring is made out of heartwood of Scots pine.

image.jpg
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!
 

Mangrove

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Finland
An interesting detail can be found from the film illustrating the 1961 Fair: Director's office with then 32 years old Barcelona chairs.

Barcelona1.jpg


Barcelona2.jpg
 

Mangrove

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Finland
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.

1961c.jpg
 

Stanley Doble

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,808
Location
Cobourg
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.
 

Attachments

  • saba-breisgau-automatic-stereo-b.jpg
    saba-breisgau-automatic-stereo-b.jpg
    61.8 KB · Views: 609
  • saba-breisgau-automatic-stereo-01-b.jpg
    saba-breisgau-automatic-stereo-01-b.jpg
    59.4 KB · Views: 474

Stanley Doble

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,808
Location
Cobourg
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

Bartender
Messages
25,082
Location
London, UK
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

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Finland
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
640px-Cabane_de_Car%C3%A9lie_%28mus%C3%A9e_national%2C_Helsinki%29_%282761532605%29.jpg
 
Last edited:

Mangrove

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Finland
Cover of a book printed in 1957. Notice the use of traditional spinning wheel distaffs as decorative items.

image.jpg
 

Mangrove

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Finland
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.

 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,306
Messages
3,078,463
Members
54,244
Latest member
seeldoger47
Top