Side Table Maija Heikinheimo 1930s

The Apu 604 birch wood side table by Maija Heikinheimo (1908-1963) designed for the Finnish furniture manufacturer Asko in 1934. A wonderful, rare and collectible example of early Nordic fuctionalism with it's crescent shaped shelves, curved edges and beautiful joinery. Original stained and varnished finish.

Maija Heikinheimo studied interior architecture at Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu , The Finnish Art Industry Center School (1929- 1932) and after graduating at 24 she was hired as one of the first furniture draftsman at the Asko Avonius factory in Lahti, the largest carpentry factory in Finland. Her designs for Asko were highly inspired by Alvar Aalto’s plywood bending and shortly after meeting the infamous Aalto couple in Paris, she started working at Artek from 1937.

Maija Heikinheimo remains an almost invisible background figure in the history of modern Finnish design and interior architecture, despite her central role at Artek.  She was initially the 'right hand' of Aino Aalto as a chief designer, and later Artistic Director and CEO of the company, dedicating her life to supporting and working closely with Alvar Aalto.  Her contribution as a designer to Aalto's interiors and designs is clearly seen, however her contribution is little known as she rarely signed her plans. She also insisted all draftsman working under her sign their work as Alvar Aalto. Her most famous known pieces of furniture are the Artek chairs 43 and 45 and the rattan chair 370. Today the modest but brilliant furniture designer, Maija Heikinheimo is beginning to get the rightful attention she deserves and her rare pieces have become highly collectible in their own right.

Designed 1930s, Manufacturer Asko, Finland