The Origins of The Alvar Aalto Savoy Vase
Written by Mark Jennings Thursday, 19 May 2011 08:29
The most recognizable characteristic of the Scandinavian mid-century design, is probably the organic shapes of many of its objects and furniture. One of the precursors of the organic design was certainly Alvar Aalto and his most popular object with an organic design is the Savoy Vase. Even if the organic shapes were not a new element in the Aalto's design and architectural works there have been many guesses about it: the Finland's lakes, the trees shapes, the water wavess etc.
Although the vase has become so famous that it can now stand as a symbol for the whole of Finland, this suggestion, like all the rest, is ultimately fanciul, even if it does accord with a nationalism that was an important feature of much finnish design.
Aalto never said a word about what exactly inspired the vase's design and probably is one of the few cases when Aalto designed an object more for his own interest and for a purely decorative reason, even though the vase is clearly functional.
Definitely, once empty, the Savoy has the appeal of a sculpture.The shape remembers the organic curves of the most famous Aalto's laminated wooden furniture and constitutes a distinctive element of his works as designer and architect.
The vase was created for a competition for glass designs at the Paris World Fair of 1937, sponsored by the manufacturer Karhula (later Iittala). It won first prize. But at more or less the same time several were ordered to complete Aalto's furnishings of the Savoy restaurant in Helsinki, which is where it its name comes from.
Today, the original wooden moulds used to blow the vase in the early times have been replaced by more durable cast-iron mould. Since the beginning the vase has been available in many colours and sizes and, after more than seventy years is still a best seller of the manufacturer. The Savoy vase is a typical example of timeless object, designed at the beginning of the mid-century era and still contemporary today.
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