Tapio Wirkkala Finland
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Chrome, Brass
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern More Dining and Entertaining
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s Finnish Modernist Chain Necklaces
Silver
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Chandeliers and Pendants
Copper
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Silver
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Birch, Plywood
Vintage 1960s Floor Lamps
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Table Lamps
Steel, Brass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Serving Pieces
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Birch
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Acrylic
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Blown Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Pitchers
Brass, Silver
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Sterling Silver
Vintage 1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Bowls
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Birch
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern More Candle Holders
Silver
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Blown Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Ceramic
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Serving Bowls
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Glass
Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
Vintage 1950s Finnish Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Pine
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass
Finnish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Brass, Metal
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Modern Barware
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Decorative Bowls
Metal
Vintage 1950s Finnish Vases
Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Earthenware
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Serving Pieces
Steel
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Silver
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Platters and Serveware
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Collectible Jewelry
Silver
Vintage 1980s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Acrylic
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Centerpieces
Glass
Vintage 1970s Finnish Modern Porcelain
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Blown Glass
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Murano Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vases
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers an...
Plastic
Vintage 1970s Finnish Serving Bowls
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Desk Accessories
Vintage 1960s Finnish Vases
- 1
- ...
Tapio Wirkkala Finland For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Tapio Wirkkala Finland?
Tapio Wirkkala for sale on 1stDibs
Along with architect Alvar Aalto, the designer Tapio Wirkkala was Finland’s leading contributor to the Scandinavian interpretation of modernism in the mid-20th century. Prolific and innovative, Wirkkala excelled in a wide range of fields, including glass, furniture, porcelain, jewelry and tableware. The hallmark of his talent was an ability to impart a craft aesthetic based on natural forms — leaves, ice, bubbles, birds — to industrially produced designs.
A native of Helsinki, Wirkkala studied at the national School of Applied Arts and took up a career in graphic design. After serving in the Finnish army during World War II, he joined the glassmaking firm Iittala, an association that would continue to the end of his life. Wirkkala learned every aspect of glassmaking in keeping with his belief that an artist-designer should be involved in all stages of production. His best-known works for Iittala are vases and drinking vessels that resemble either carved ice or icicles. In 1956, Wirkkala began a long relationship with the porcelain maker Rosenthal, for whom he designed elegant table pieces, such as the Finlandia coffee service and the biomorphic Pollo vases.
House Beautiful magazine declared Wirkkala’s Leaf platter the “most beautiful object” of 1951. (The acclaim led to his brief employment stint with industrial designer Raymond Loewy in New York.) That platter was one of the first designs Wirkkala made using laminated sheets of plywood sanded to a smooth surface that resembles an abstract leaf. It would go on to become a motif in many Wirkkala furniture pieces — most notably in inlaid coffee tables for Asko — and in a sense these are the works most emblematic of his personal aesthetic.
Wirkkala was a traditionalist in many ways, but he had a modernist’s practical approach, incorporating his leaf-like spirals into simple, functional objects. That is the core attraction of Wirkkala’s designs: They stand out with a striking, sculptural energy yet blend in as part of a warm and comfortable decor.
Find vintage Tapio Wirkkala furniture on 1stDibs.








