Alvar Aalto lounge set
This gift is from Finland and is a furniture lounge set by the world renown Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto (1898 –1976). He designed furniture, textiles, glassware and architecture and was recognized for his organic modern style and Scandinavian style. Alvar Aalto used wood in his furniture and was the inventor of the manufacturing process for bending wood, a technique which he patented. His technique is in this iconic furniture set, especially the legs and arms of the chairs, sofas and tables.
In 1957, the artist said, "We should work for simple, good, undecorated things …but things which are in harmony with the human being and organically suited to the little man in the street."
Finland provided the original set on 17 June 1986 and later replaced it with a new set in 2017. It consists of 3 sofas, 3 tables, and 9 chairs with 1 set in storage. It is very popular and used often.