‘60’ stacking stool by Alvar Aalto for Artek

The form: A stacking stool with a circular top and bent laminated timber legs. What makes it special: The ‘60’ stool by the co-founder of Finnish brand Artek, Alvar Aalto, is a symbol of the modernist movement. Created in 1932 33, it showed how good design and manufacturing could produce a product that could be exported globally. Aalto’s humanist version of modernism utilised one of Finland’s greatest natural assets – birch wood – and the technology involved in the stool’s bent leg is far more complex than it appears. Unlike the Thonet designs that used steam bending, Aalto’s design features his patented L leg. The end of the leg is given a series of precise saw cuts, which are then illed with slips of timber dipped in adhesive. The timber is softened and bent under pressure to the required 90 degrees, eliminating the need for complex joints. This concept is the basis for all Aalto designs of the period across tables, tea trolleys, shelving, chairs and armchairs. This signature design’s brilliance in terms of manufacturing and shipping – the legs simply screw on at the destination – makes it one of the earliest lat-pack furniture designs. The ‘60’ stool can be stacked 10 high. Expect to pay: From $350 each in birch or the 80th anniversary Paimio edition with green, yellow, turquoise, orange, white or black tops and birch legs for $370. Buy at: Anibou, anibou.com.au.