Aino Aalto

Aino Aalto

Aino Aalto (1894-1949) studied architecture at the Technical Institute in Helsinki from 1913 to 1920. Parallel, she worked for various architects, including Oiva Kallio, Gunnar Achilles Wahlroos and Alvar Aalto, whom she married in 1925. Following a trip to Italy, which is said to have decisively shaped the artistic work of the couple, the Aaltos first settled in Turku and subsequently in Helsinki. The Aaltos' architectural style is particularly evident in the narrow, high summer villas of the 1930s. Aino Aalto was responsible for the interior design of the Villa Mairea in Noormarkku and designed furniture for the Paimio Sanatorium, with whose design Alvar Aalto won an architecture competition. Furthermore, the architect and designer developed glassware for the Finnish manufacturer Iittala, many of which remain in production today. In 1935, the Aaltos, together with Maire Gullichsen, who commissioned the Villa Mairea, and Nils-Gustav Hahlin founded the company Artek, which distributes designs by Aino and Alvar Aalto as well as other designers.