Alvar Aalto’s 1935 Model 91 Table

Table Model 91 by Alvar Aalto.

Prewar example of Aalto’s iconic and revolutionary table design. Table Model 91 was the largest circular table designed by Aalto and the depth of top and leg dimensions were scaled up proportionally to create a table of strong presence and stature. The legs are inset beneath the top to allow freer seating around the circumference. The example offered is veneered with the rarer curled birch veneer, which could be specified for pre War models. The table bears a Finmar importers badge, the retailer’s plaque and a storage label.

Aalto’s revolutionary ‘bent-knee’ provided a solution to a historical and practical structural problem of connecting the vertical and horizontal. The harmonious and appealing resolution was achieved through inserting thin laminates into slots cut into the solid birch leg. The leg was used through an extensive range of table shapes and sizes.