Artek

Discover the World of Artek: Where Art Meets Technology, and Nature Meets Function

Artek was founded in Helsinki in 1935 by four young idealists: Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen, and Nils-Gustav Hahl. Their goal was "to sell furniture and to promote a modern culture of living by exhibitions and other educational means." The name they chose — Artek — a portmanteau of art and technology, couldn't be a better moniker. Influenced by the radical teachings of the Bauhaus and driven by a belief that good design could genuinely improve everyday life, Artek arrived not just as a furniture company but as a cultural mission. Nearly ninety years later, that mission remains as vivid and relevant as ever. At Nexclusives, we carry a curated selection of Artek's most beloved pieces — objects so considered they feel less designed than discovered. 

Alvar Aalto and the Language of Wood

Alvar Aalto wished to learn "the language of wood fibres" and believed that there is a positive effect when our skin comes into contact with natural materials. This conviction shaped everything he made. In the late 1920s, Aalto collaborated with furniture manufacturer Otto Korhonen on a number of innovative techniques, leading to the development of the L-leg — an L-shaped leg composed of solid bent wood that enabled the creation of more than 50 different products. Further experiments with pressed plywood and laminated birch lamella yielded results that made possible some of Aalto's most iconic designs. In an era when metal furniture dominated the modernist conversation, Aalto made an argument for warmth, for nature, for the human hand — and won. 

Stool 60 — The Most Democratic Object in Design History

The Model No. 60 stool, designed circa 1932–1933, demonstrated Alvar Aalto's interest in basic functional, utilitarian forms. Constructed of bent laminated birch, it remains one of Artek's most popular items. Since 1935, over one and a half million Artek stools alone have been sold worldwide. It is a piece that has appeared in hospital waiting rooms and design museums, in student dormitories and Michelin-starred restaurants — a chair that asks nothing of a space and gives everything to it. Stackable, adaptable, endlessly reinterpretable, Stool 60 is the clearest proof that the most radical design is often also the simplest.

The Paimio Chair — Empathy as Design Principle

The best known of Artek's furniture pieces is the cantilevered birch wood Paimio Chair, which was specifically designed for tuberculosis patients to sit in for long hours each day. Aalto argued that the angle of the back of the chair was the perfect angle for the patient to breathe most easily. It is a chair born from an act of empathy — the idea that furniture should understand the body and serve it completely. The chair is part of the permanent collections at MoMA in New York City and the Finnish Design Museum. More than nine decades after its creation, it remains as beautiful and as relevant as it was the day it was made. 

The Tea Trolley 900 — A Story in Three Materials

The Tea Trolley 900 first launched at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris. Alvar's trolley was inspired by both British tea culture and Japanese woodcraft and combines tiles and wicker with his signature bentwood. It is a piece that captures Aalto's genius for synthesis — drawing on cultures, materials, and traditions from across the world and folding them into something that feels entirely and unmistakably his own. Functional, poetic, and completely irresistible. 

Aino Aalto — The Co-Founder Who Shaped the Brand

The architect and designer Aino Aalto played an important part in establishing and shaping Artek. In addition to her own independent projects and the collaborations she undertook with her husband, Aino Aalto served as the company's first Design Director and, from 1941, its Managing Director. Her contribution to Artek's identity — its rigour, its warmth, its commitment to modern living as a cultural act — is as foundational as Alvar's designs themselves, and increasingly recognised as such. 

Artek Today — A Living Archive

In keeping with the radical spirit of its founders, Artek remains an innovative player in the world of modern design, developing new products at the intersection of design, architecture, and art. The Artek collection consists of furniture, lighting, and accessories designed by Finnish masters and leading international designers. It stands for clarity, functionality, and poetic simplicity. In 2013, Vitra acquired Artek — a natural pairing of two brands that share a deep commitment to design that endures. Together, they represent the breadth of the modernist tradition from two distinct cultural perspectives: Swiss precision and Finnish warmth. 

Why Choose Artek?

Artek pieces are not nostalgic objects — they are living designs, as useful and as beautiful in a contemporary interior as they were in 1935. They are made from natural materials, designed with genuine care for the human body, and built to last not years but generations. To bring an Artek piece into your home is to bring in something that carries history lightly — and wears it beautifully.

Explore the Artek collection at Nexclusives, available in our Amsterdam showroom and online.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who founded Artek and when?
Artek was founded in Helsinki in 1935 by Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen, and Nils-Gustav Hahl — four idealists united by a belief in the transformative power of modern design. 

2. What materials does Artek use?
Artek is celebrated above all for its mastery of wood — particularly birch, which is bent, laminated, and shaped using techniques pioneered by Alvar Aalto. Aalto was fascinated by wood, keen to explore its possibilities, find out where its limits lay, and discover what modern production methods could achieve. 

3. Is Artek now part of Vitra?
Yes. Vitra acquired Artek in 2013. The two brands operate independently while sharing a commitment to authentic, enduring modern design. 

4. What is Artek's 2nd Cycle programme?
Artek's 2nd Cycle programme, which began in 2006, collects used Artek furniture and resells it. Often made available are rare and discontinued items; repairs and refurbishing work are done as necessary, but minor wear or cosmetic blemishes are considered part of the appeal. It is one of the furniture world's earliest and most thoughtful circular design initiatives. 

5. Can I view Artek furniture in person?
Yes. A selection of Artek pieces is on display in our Amsterdam showroom. We recommend contacting us in advance to confirm which models are currently available to view.

6. Where can I purchase Artek furniture?
You can shop the Artek collection online at Nexclusives.com or visit us in Amsterdam.