Antti Nurmesniemi, set of Six Sauna dtools, designed for the Palace Hotel, 1970.

Nice set of the famous Horseshoe Sauna Stool Designed in 1952 for the interior of the Palace Hotel in Helsinki. This set has been produced in the late 70's in Laminated-birch plywood, teak, stained birch. Manufactured by G. Söderström, Finland. Underside of each impressed ANTTI NURMESNIEMI. Those stool has been a major milestone on scandinavian design specially in Finland. Nurmesniemi is one of the best leading designer along side Alvar Aalto, Paavo Tynell, Josef Frank or Axel Einar Hjorth. A true original piece.

Dimensions : Height 44 cm, width 43 cm.

About the designer : Antti Nurmesniemi (1927–2003) was a Finnish interior architect and industrial designer widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern Finnish design. His work helped define the concept of Finnish Design in the 1950s and 1960s, rooted in rationality, functionality and everyday usability. He studied at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki (now part of Aalto University) and early in his career worked in architect Viljo Revell’s office, where one of his first notable pieces was the horseshoe-shaped sauna stool for the Palace Hotel in Helsinki, which became an iconic modern design. In 1956 he founded his own practice, Studio Nurmesniemi, and his first independent project was the Pehtoori coffee pot, later regarded as a design classic. Over his long career he designed interiors, furniture, everyday objects, exhibition spaces and even the interiors of the Helsinki Metro cars in collaboration with Börje Rajalin, always with a focus on seamless integration of form and function. Nurmesniemi also designed furniture for major manufacturers, won prestigious awards such as the Lunning Prize in 1959, and created Finland’s acclaimed exhibitions at the Milan Triennale, which earned Grand Prix honors. He was active internationally as a lecturer and educator, held academic posts, and was deeply involved in design organizations, shaping both practice and discourse around design in Finland and beyond. His work is still celebrated as part of the classic modernist design heritage and continues to influence contemporary designers.