Eero Aarnio

Eero Aarnio

Finnish designer Eero Aarnio (b. 1932) is a great innovator of twentieth-century furniture. His plastic chairs from the 1960s are pop culture icons that continue to be in demand, which is why Aarnio Originals began manufacturing them again in 2017 after launching at the Stockholm Furniture Fair.

Designer Profile: Eero Aarnio

1. Ball Chair for Aarnio Originals

Perhaps Aarnio's greatest design, Ball Chair revels in its spherical shape. While people might say it celebrates Space Age science, Aarnio explains the chair's origin more directly: "…and since I tend to simplify things, I removed all the corners."

Designer Profile: Eero Aarnio

2. Bubble Chair for Aarnio Originals

Bubble Chair is another Aarnio favorite. Just as blobulous as Ball Chair, Bubble is especially enchanting thanks to its transparency, which makes it seem as if it's floating.

Designer Profile: Eero Aarnio

3. Pastil for Aarnio Originals

Another wondrous organic form, Pastil illustrates the possibilities of plastic. Round and smooth, the pill-shaped chair seems like an alien relic that landed on Earth.

Designer Profile: Eero Aarnio

4. Screw Table for Aarnio Originals

Screw Table is a perfect example of Aarnio's sense of humor. Why not play with scale and make a table out of a screw? This gigantism takes an everyday object and surprises us with its form. Even though we've seen it a million times, it is now ever-present and impossible to ignore-transformed into something wondrous.

Designer Profile: Eero Aarnio

5. Double Bubble for Studio Eero Aarnio

In lighting Aarnio is also a devotee of the sphere. Thanks to its asymmetrical "ears," his Double Bubble looks animated. It's a little extraterrestrial come to shed light on our lives.

Designer Profile: Eero Aarnio

6. Bottle of Light for Studio Eero Aarnio

Another fun light object is Aarnio's Bottle of Light, a recent design that's portable and pleasing, offering a diffused glow. Bottle of Light does not get hot, so you can move it from room to room as needed-or take it outside.

Designer Profile: Eero Aarnio

7. Puppy for Magis Me Too

The coupling of plastic and playfulness makes Aarnio a great designer for kids, who welcome whimsy at home (and everywhere). His Puppy for Magis Me Too "blends function and delight, finding use both inside and out as a child's stool or simply as sculpture."

Designer Profile: Eero Aarnio

8. Pingy for Magis Me Too

Another cute animal, Pingy was inspired by Aarnio's own childhood love of baby penguins. The round belly allows Pingy to waddle, which is of course the animal's signature move.

For more information, visit Eero Aarnio.

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