Human Modernism

"Form is a mystery that defies description but brings people pleasure."

- Alvar Aalto

Artek - art and technology

Artek, the internationally known and recognized quality design brand, has a long tradition as a manufacturer of outstanding design products for daily use. The company, with roots in Finland, is operating on a global scale, collaborating with strong local partners in each country.
The company's reputation is founded on its commitment to quality and continuity. Artek is a comprehensive furnishing system that can be used in all kinds of situations from public spaces to offices, museums to schools, hotels to homes. Today we produce over 50 models with many variations on each design in between.
Artek stands for timeless design created by motivated and progressive thinkers. Some of Artek's most famous products are the furniture, lamps and textiles designed by famous Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto. Artek is renowned as one of the most innovative contributions to modern design.
Artek is headquartered in Finland and is owned by the international investment group Proventus AB, based in Sweden. Artek has three showrooms in Finland (Helsinki, Espoo and Turku). Artek has close links to the Alvar Aalto Foundation and royalties from Artek sales help support the Foundation's work with Alvar Aalto and new architecture and design.

Artek history

Artek was founded in 1935 by four young Finns led by the visionary modern architect Alvar Aalto. Alvar Aalto, who began designing furnishings as a natural and important extension of his architectural thinking and success, created his first furniture in 1931-32 for the tuberculosis sanatorium at Paimio. This proved to be his international breakthrough. Artek was set up in 1935 to market Aalto's furniture, lamps and textiles, particularly on international markets where Artek focused its operations from the initial stages.
Artek was more than a commercial enterprise; it also aimed at developing the expression of its founders' modernistic spirit. It was an industrial arts center where the art and design trends of the time converged. Artek's founders demonstrated a broad cultural outlook and a pioneering spirit. Through their efforts Artek became an unbiased discussion and events forum that could accommodate even radical approaches. Artek continues to function in the same spirit and has solidified its position as a timely center for design, keeping a close watch on today's evolving fashions, lifestyle changes and new developments in the industry.
Artek remains at the forefront of quality and the best design. Artek's original values - long-term durability and high quality combined with a clean-lined form language - are still the company's driving forces. Even today, Artek's most important products are the furniture designed by Aalto and the company carries on the Aalto tradition and its spirit by renewing and re-issuing his designs, even occasionally in the form of a challenge to the master. In recent year the company has also extended its collection by taking on new designers following Alvar Aalto's footstep.

Core Values

Artek's design philosophy brings a human perspective to modernism. Our furniture is made with the ambition to support and nourish human's physical and psychological wellbeing. By blending functionalism with form and sculptural simplicity with the emotional warmth of wood, Artek's furniture harmonises with architecture. A complete interior landscape articulates a flexible way of living.

Innovative Design

Artek's iconic status is founded on innovative design thanks to its founder, Alvar Aalto, who invented new methods for bending and splicing wood to realise the revolutionary structural ideas and fluid organic forms of his most dynamic designs. Artek's most famous collection, the Alvar Aalto collection, is a comprehensive furniture system that can be used in all kinds of situations from public spaces to offices, museums to schools, hotels to homes. The versatility of this collection allows us to customise furniture for individual projects.