Artek Aalto chair 69, wild birch

Chair 69 was designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek in 1935. Chair 69 is one of Aalto’s best-known dining chairs, and its simple yet vivid character easily suits any room of the house. The chair uses Aalto’s famous L-leg structure, which allows the legs to be attached directly to the seat. The wide seat and backrest provide superior stability and everyday function for various different situations.

Aalto chair 69 celebrates the authentic beauty of birch wood: this bench is made of so-called wild birch that shows the material’s natural variation in its entirety. By using “wild birch”, Artek wishes to challenge our expectations of visual uniformity in natural materials and to spark conversation about the need for a new, more sustainable esthetic. Due to climate change, Finnish wood nowadays has more color variations than before, as well as marks left by insects previously unseen in Finnish forests. These marks or knots do not affect the durability or usability of the wood but are only esthetic limitations.