Gropius House

Table

This low table is from Alvar Aalto’s Nesting Table 88 Design (1935). It was manufactured in the early 1940s by Artek, a company founded by Aalto and his wife Aino in order to manufacture and distribute his designs, as well as “to promote modern culture of habitation by exhibitions and other means.”

This table is an example of Aalto’s “L-leg” design, where solid wood was cut to achieve flexibility, and support legs could be attached directly to seating and/or table surfaces. Aalto made many contributions to the world of design, but he considered this technique to be his crowning achievement.

Photograph by John Russo.