Eero Aarnio
Encyclopedia
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
interior designer, well known for his innovative furniture designs in the 1960s, notably his plastic and fibreglass chairs.
Aarnio studied at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, and started his own office in 1962. The following year he introduced his Ball Chair
Ball Chair
The Ball Chair was designed by Finnish furniture designer Eero Aarnio in 1963. The Ball Chair is also known as the globe chair and is famous for its unconventional shape. It is considered a classic of industrial design...
, a hollow sphere on a stand, open on one side to allow a person to sit within. The similar Bubble Chair
Bubble Chair
The Bubble chair was designed by Eero Aarnio in 1968 in Finland. It is made of acrylic or steel frame and leather or polyurethane fabric cushions. It is distributed by Adelta. The chair is suspended from above leading to a floating or bubble-like sensation. It is considered an industrial design...
was clear and suspended from above. Other innovative designs included his floating Pastil Chair (similar to a solid inner tube), and Tomato Chair (more stable with a seat between three spheres). His Screw Table, as the name suggests, had the appearance of a flat head screw driven into the ground. he was awarded the American Industrial Design award in 1968.
Aarnio's designs were an important aspect of 1960s popular culture, and could often be seen as part of sets in period science-fiction films . Because his designs used very simple geometric forms, they were ideal for such productions.
Aarnio later work replaced the use of fibreglass (material that can be dangerous especially for those who are directly involved in its manufacturing) with safer types of plastic. He continues to create new designs, including toys and furniture for children.