Eero Aarnio

Eero Aarnio (born 1932) is a Finnish interior designer, well known for his innovative furniture designs in the 1960s, notably his plastic and fiberglass chairs.

Aarnio studied at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki, and started his own office in 1962. The following year he introduced his Ball Chair, a hollow sphere on a stand, open on one side to allow a person to sit within. The similar Bubble Chair was clear and suspended from above. Other innovative designs included his floating Pastil Chair (similar to a solid inner tube), and Tomato Chair (more stable with a seat between three spheres). His Screw Table, as the name suggests, had the appearance of a flat head screw driven into the ground.

Aarnio's designs were an important aspect of 1960s popular culture (though his designs did not reflect this), and could often be seen as part of sets in period science-fiction films. Because his designs used very simple geometric forms, they were ideal for such productions.

Aarnio today is showing an awareness of the importance of researching into friendly materials by replacing the use of fibreglass (material that can be dangerous especially for those who are directly involved in its manufacturing) with safe types of plastic. He is creating new designs and, even though he has also worked with more traditional materials like wood and steel during his career, prefers to draw products that follow his distinct style of playful shapes and colors that are manufactured in plastic; these include toys and furniture for children.

Links

* [http://www.eeroaarnio.com/ Website of Eero Aarnio, compiled by his daughter]
* [http://www.eero-aarnio.com/ Website of Adelta Ltd, producers of classic Aarnio products]
* [http://www.martela2008milano.fi/ Website of under THE tree -exhibition by Martela Oyj in Milan 2008]