Along with architect Alvar Aalto, the designer Tapio Wirkkala was Finland’s leading contributor to the Scandinavian interpretation of modernism in the mid-20th century. Prolific and innovative, Wirkkala excelled in a wide range of fields, including glass, furniture, porcelain, jewelry and tableware. The hallmark of his talent was an ability to impart a craft aesthetic based on natural forms — leaves, ice, bubbles, birds — to industrially produced designs.
A native of Helsinki, Wirkkala studied at the national School of Applied Arts and took up a career in graphic design. After serving in the Finnish army during World War II, he joined the glassmaking firm Iittala, an association that would continue to the end of his life. Wirkkala learned every aspect of glassmaking in keeping with his belief that an artist-designer should be involved in all stages of production. His best-known works for Iittala are vases and drinking vessels that resemble either carved ice or icicles. In 1956, Wirkkala began a long relationship with the porcelain maker Rosenthal, for whom he designed elegant table pieces, such as the Finlandia coffee service and the biomorphic Pollo vases.
House Beautiful magazine declared Wirkkala’s Leaf platter the “most beautiful object” of 1951. (The acclaim led to his brief employment stint with industrial designer Raymond Loewy in New York.) That platter was one of the first designs Wirkkala made using laminated sheets of plywood sanded to a smooth surface that resembles an abstract leaf. It would go on to become a motif in many Wirkkala furniture pieces — most notably in inlaid coffee tables for Asko — and in a sense these are the works most emblematic of his personal aesthetic.
Wirkkala was a traditionalist in many ways, but he had a modernist’s practical approach, incorporating his leaf-like spirals into simple, functional objects. That is the core attraction of Wirkkala’s designs: They stand out with a striking, sculptural energy yet blend in as part of a warm and comfortable decor.
Find vintage Tapio Wirkkala furniture on 1stDibs.
outstanding rare and amazing TN55 coffee table by taichiro nakai
By La Permanente Mobili Cantù
Located in Munich, DE
Taichiro Nakay was an incredibly talented japanese designer who is mostly known for his participation at the Selettiva del Mobili competition in Cantù. This coffee table was presente...
Metal
Rare pk59 Coffee Table with Unique Teakwood Top
By Poul Kjærholm
Located in Munich, DE
matt chromed iron base with EKC press mark. original light teakwood top with amazing grain.
Iron
elegant coffee table by knoll international
By Richard Schultz, Knoll
Located in Munich, DE
iconic design by richard schultz. very modern look.
Steel
Unique Richard Schultz Coffee Table for Knoll International
By Richard Schultz
Located in Munich, DE
I never saw this model before not in real life and not in any Knoll catalog. Tabletop is teakwood.
Teak
Wonderful and Very Rare Coffee Table by Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq
By Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline le Coq
Located in Munich, DE
Wonderful and very rare extra large coffee table by Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq. Black laquered steel legs and teakwood top with b...
Teak
Very Rare Dining or Coffee Table T41 by Osvaldo Borsani
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Munich, DE
For tecno/ Italy. Wonderful height adjustable table. Can be used in every high between 50 and 77cm. Remarkable table top with amazing veneer.
Wood
A Rare Tapio Wirkkala Rhythmic Veneer Coffee Table Model 9018, Asko 1950s
By Tapio Wirkkala, Asko
Located in Helsinki, FI
A rare version of the Tapio Wirkkala rhythmic veneer coffee table model 9018, aka "Angel Wings" due to the symmetric wong resembling rhythmic lines on top. The legs are detachable an...
Aluminum
Tapio Wirkkala Rhythmic Coffee Table with metal legs, Asko 1950s
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Hägersten-Liljeholmen, Stockholms län
Tapio Wirkkala rhythmic veneer coffee table with original iron laquered legs. Tapio Wirkkala began developing and refining this rhythmic veneer technique in the 1940s in collaboratio...
Birch, Plywood
Tapio Wirkkala Mid-Century Coffee Table for Asko, Birch & Ebony
By Tapio Wirkkala, Asko
Located in PARIS, FR
Tapio Wirkkala coffee table for Asko (Finland) – Created by Wirkkala in the early 60s, it is the most iconic of its tables with its 3 marquetry inserts: the emblematic leaf and the 2...
Iron
Rare Tapio Wirkkala Coffee Table for Asko
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Toronto, Ontario
A great example of Tapio Wirkkala's iconic coffee table for Asko Finland. This piece has two leaf motif decorations on the tabletop. Branded Asko.
Metal
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table by Ilmari Lappalainen for Asko, Finland 1960s
By Asko, Ilmari Lappalainen
Located in Hamburg, DE
Coffee table by Finnish manufacturer Asko, designed by Ilmari Lappalainen in the 1960s. A simple and functional design with a distinctive base. The striking star base is composed of...
Wood
Tapio Wirkkala Inlaid Coffee Table for Asko Danish Modern
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Atlanta, GA
Elegant Inlaid Danish Modern Coffee Table, designed by Tapio Wirkkala, Finland, circa 1960s. Signed with brand underneath. Retains warm original patina.
Brass
