What’s new: Artek’s Stool 60 Loimu
Artek's stool 60 makes a perfect extra chair and can also be used as a smart side table in the hallway, for example.
FOR THE STOOL 60, the year 2023 has been full of festivities, as the iconic chair has celebrated its birthday – hard to believe that this beauty has been gracing our homes for a remarkable 90 years! To mark the significant milestone, Artek has designed special versions of the classic three-legged charmer to delight both its loyal enthusiasts and a new generation of admirers.
Earlier this year, Artek launched the Kontrasti stool which highlights the structure of the classic chair; now the Loimu stool emphasizes the seat's material, Finnish birch wood.
• Read also: Aalto stool 60 Kontrasti celebrates the ingenious construction of the classic L-leg >
Stool 60 is one of the biggest icons of Finnish furniture design, designed by Alvar Aalto himself.
The stool's revolutionary L-leg structure was a sensation in the design world of its time.
Released to celebrate the stool's 90th birthday, the Loimu special edition is adorned with wavy, almost flame-like patterns.
The Loimu stool is made from a rare birch variant characterized by a wavy, almost flame-like grain pattern. Some might mistake these kinds of patterns for a flaw but Artek wants to emphasise them instead.
The untreated flame birch only shows a whisper of the grain pattern, and the pattern is fully revealed once the wood is treated.
The stool is delivered in its untreated state with an oiling set so the new owner can complete the oiling process and witness flames revealing by themselves.
When digging the stool out of the package, the new owner may first be surprised to see just a hint of the flame pattern on the chair. The Loimu stool is delivered in its untreated state and the pattern will only fully reveal once the wood is treated. You can witness this with your own eyes: the chair comes with an accompanying oiling set that makes it easy to oil it at home yourself. So be ready to start the fire!
As flame birch is a rare material, the birthday hero is only available for a limited time.
Flame birch is exceptionally rare, and therefore the special anniversary stool 60 is only available as a limited edition – making this 90-year-old birthday buddy a true collector's item.
The third and last special edition of Stool 60 will be released later this autumn. Design Stories' editorial team is eagerly looking forward to seeing what Artek has come up with this time!
See also:
• Artek's Aalto stool 60, Loimu >
• What's new at Finnish Design Shop >
Text: Susa Pääkkönen Images: Artek
Published on 23 Aug, 2023
