Aino Aalto

Aino Aalto (1894-1949), born Aino Marsio, was a Finnish architect and designer, wife of Alvar Aalto. The two met while studying at the Helsinki Polytechnic and began working together in 1924; as with many famous architect couples, it is difficult to establish today how much of the work officially attributed to Alvar Aalto also bears his contribution. Aino was mainly responsible for interior design and partly also for furnishings, almost certainly attributable to her in works such as the Villa Mairea (1937-39) or the Paimio Sanatorium (1927-29). She is remembered today mainly for her works in glass design: in 1932 she participated in a competition organized by the Karhula brand (now part of Iittala) by presenting the set of glasses and carafes Bölgeblick, whose shapes are inspired by the concentric circles formed by a stone thrown into a body of water, which soon went into production and are still among the bestsellers of the Iittala catalogue. The objects of the Bölgeblick collection were also awarded at the Milan Triennale in 1936. Aino Aalto also plays an important role in the history of the Artek brand, founded by herself together with her husband, the entrepreneur Maire Gullichsen and the young Nils-Gustav Hahl to mass-produce lamps and furniture. Although only a few pieces in the Artek catalogue bear her direct signature, Aino was the brand's art director, making a decisive contribution to the definition of its style and image. From 1941 he also served as managing director of Artek, a role he held until his death in 1949.