Dining table model '91'

Designed by Alvar Aalto for Finmar Ltd,

Finland, 1934-39.

This round birch dining table by Alvar Aalto for Artek is an elegant example of early Finnish modern design. Classified as model A 91, it is accompanied by its original removable rotating serving tray, the “Lazy Susan” model B 91, which can be placed on the tabletop when in use or stored separately. The broad circular top rests on three characteristically Aalto legs in bent laminated birch, whose gentle curve softens the otherwise rigorously functional form.

Conceived in the mid-1930s and exhibited at the Milan Triennale in 1936, the table reflects Aalto’s interest in democratic, practical furniture for modern living. The legs can be dismantled with ease, a feature deliberately developed at Artek to simplify shipping and storage for international clients. Warmly patinated birch highlights the natural grain of the wood, giving the modernist structure a tactile, organic presence. As a historic Alvar Aalto table complete with its B 91 serving tray, this piece embodies the blend of innovation, craftsmanship and understated refinement that defines Nordic design.