Seating1933
Stool 60
Design Object · Stool
Stool 60
Alvar Aalto’s three-legged 1933 stool made the bent L-leg a repeatable furniture system.
Record
| Object type | Stool[s1] |
|---|---|
| Designer | Alvar Aalto[s1] |
| Manufacturer | Artek[s1] |
| Original year | 1933[s1] |
| Country | Finland[s1] |
| Materials | Solid birch, Birch plywood or veneer[s1] |
| Dimensions | Ø 38 × H 44 cm[s1] |
| Series | L-leg[s1] |
| Model | Stool 60[s1] |
| Production status | In production[s1] |
| Specification scope | Current standard stool size.[s1] |
Design history & editions
Sources consulted 3 September 2026. This date applies to these notes, not a fresh verification of every inherited specification.
A small object built around one joint
Artek dates Stool 60 to 1933 and reports continuous production since then. Three legs attach to a circular seat, making a compact object usable as a seat or small surface. It remains stackable and is supplied flat-packed; the limited number of components is central to the design rather than an incidental economy. [1]
How the L-leg is bent
Aalto developed the L-leg with manufacturer Otto Korhonen. Saw cuts in one end of a solid timber piece receive thin glued veneer strips, allowing that end to bend while improving the finished component's stability. The process was patented in 1933 and became a repeatable element across Aalto's furniture. [2]
A historic manufacturer in the museum record
MoMA's Stacking Stool (model 60), accession 146.1958, is listed as birch and attributed to Oy Huonekalu-ja Rakennustyötehdas Ab in Turku. Its recorded height is 43.8 cm and diameter 35 cm. The accession documents one museum object and its manufacturer attribution, not the dimensions of all stools sold under the name today. [3]
Models and editions
| Model / edition | What distinguishes it |
|---|---|
| Stool 60 | The three-legged model has several seat-surface options, including birch, laminate, linoleum and upholstery. Seat cores and coverings vary by configuration. [1] |
| Stool E60 | Artek's brochure distinguishes the four-legged E60, dated 1934, from the three-legged 1933 Stool 60. An extra leg changes the model identification. [2] |
What this record does not establish
The core table records the present reference configuration. It is not a dating guide for finishes, labels or screws, and the museum specimen's measurements must not be substituted for current catalogue measurements.
Evidence for these notes
- Artek · Stool 60
Manufacturer · Three-legged construction, current seat materials and continuous production
- Artek · Stool 60 and E60 brochure
Manufacturer technical publication · Korhonen collaboration, L-leg process and 60/E60 distinction
- MoMA · Stacking Stool (model 60), 146.1958
Museum collection · Accession, historic manufacturer and specimen measurements
Availability
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