Artek Aalto table 81B, wild birch

Artek’s Table 81B is Alvar Aalto’s timeless design from 1935. Due to the timeless design of the table, it serves as an eye-catcher in any space. Artek tables are based on different combinations of Alvar Aalto’s L-legs and tabletops. Aalto introduced the bent L-leg for the first time in 1933, and it became a standard component in his furniture designs.

Aalto table 81B 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.