Märta Blomstedt

The Aulanko Hotel was never meant to be ordinary. When it opened in 1938, the hotel was an immediate sensation. Its Finnish functionalism and 20th-century design were widely praised, and its interiors — from the mid-century modern furniture to the Scandinavian textiles and tableware — were created as one unified work of art. Set on the serene shores of Lake Vanajavesi, framed by sweeping parkland, it offered a place where beauty and function met in perfect balance.

The architects, Märta Blomstedt and Matti Lampén, shaped every detail with the precision of sculptors. The terraces caught the light just so, the spiral staircases curved like music, and each room was both a stage and a sanctuary. It was mid-century Scandinavian design at its most poetic — spaces created not only for rest, but for conversation, celebration, and quiet observation of the world outside.

But there was one element that seemed to anchor it all: the chairs. Not just any chairs — Blomstedt’s own design, created specifically for the hotel’s drawing room. Placed in the grand entrance hall, these Scandinavian design armchairs became the hotel’s silent hosts. Guests would sink into them after long journeys, the vast windows framing the lake beyond. In their embrace, the bustle of travel slowed; time felt different.

The furniture throughout the hotel reflected the same meticulous vision — a curated collection of Finnish craftsmanship that told the story of a nation finding its modern voice. But the armchair was special. It carried a presence, almost as though it belonged to the building itself.

Decades passed. Wars came and went, materials changed — wood replacing steel when metal was rationed — but the essence of the Aulanko chair endured. Variations appeared elsewhere, but none carried the same quiet authority as those that once welcomed guests at the entrance.

Today, the original Finnish vintage armchairs are treasures among collectors of Scandinavian furniture, often retaining their original patina beneath later coverings, with the stamp of Hämeenlinna craftsman Arvo Laine still marking their frame. They are more than furniture — they are collectible design pieces, relics of an era when architecture and interiors were conceived as one, when every curve and corner was part of a larger vision.

The Aulanko Hotel remains a testament to that vision. More than a historic landmark, it is a place where mid-century modern interior design and functionality still whisper through the halls — where, in memory, the armchairs still wait, quietly observing, as they always have.