Eero Aarnio

Eero Aarnio (born 21 July 1932) is a Finnish interior designer, noted for his innovative furniture designs in the 1960s, such as his plastic and fibreglass chairs.[1] He was born in Helsinki.

Puppy toy by Eero Aarnio at the Googleplex, 2008

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.[2] The Ball Chair was introduced to the international public at the Asko stand at the Cologne furniture fair in 1966.[3] The similar Bubble Chair was clear and suspended from above. Other innovative designs included his Pastil Chair (a beanbag-like molded armchair),[4] and Tomato Chair (a seat molded between three supporting spheres). His Screw Table, as the name suggests, had the appearance of a flat head screw driven into the ground. He was awarded the American Industrial Design award in 1968.

Aarnio's designs were an important aspect of 1960s popular culture, and could often be seen as part of sets in period science-fiction films.[5] Because his designs used very simple geometric forms, they were ideal for such productions. Eero Aarnio continues to create new designs, including toys and furniture for children. Eero Aarnio opened his official webshop and first Design Eero Aarnio Showroom, in Helsinki. There you can find Aarnio's latest design, prototypes and latest news. Many of Aarnio's original designs are today manufactured by Eero Aarnio Originals, which was established in 2016.[6]

In Tite Kubo's manga series Bleach, the character Aaroniero Arruruerie is named after Eero Aarnio.

Eero Aarnio pictured with a modified version of his Ball chair (c. 1975)

References

  1. ^ "Eero Aarnio". Scandinaviandesign.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  2. ^ Peluso, Salvatore (2022-10-18). "La Ball Chair di Eero Aarnio, "una stanza nella stanza"" [Eero Aarnio's Ball Chair, "a room in a room"]. ELLE Decor (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  3. ^ "Eero Aarnio: "Apply yourself and believe in yourself" | Design Stories". Finnish Design Shop COM. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  4. ^ "A10905 Armchair, 'Pastilli', moulded fibreglass reinforced polyester, designed by Eero Aarnio, made by Asko Finnternational, Finland, 1968 - Powerhouse Museum Collection". Powerhousemuseum.com. 2009-01-22. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  5. ^ "Pionier des Kunststoffdesigns – Fakten über Eero Aarnio". www.eero-aarnio.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  6. ^ "Eero Aarnio: "Apply yourself and believe in yourself" | Design Stories". Finnish Design Shop COM. Retrieved 2020-12-22.

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