19/10/2026
Stool 60 Wild Birch by Artek in collaboration with Formafantasma, 2023.
Introducing a new approach to material selection, the Wild Birch edition is the result of a collaboration between Artek and Italian design studio Formafantasma. Reinterpreting Alvar Aalto’s original Stool 60 from 1933, the edition celebrates the natural variations of Finnish birch, including knots, insect trails and colour fluctuations that would traditionally have been rejected in furniture production.
Founded in 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, Formafantasma is a research-based design studio investigating the ecological, historical and political forces shaping contemporary design. Their approach extends beyond the finished object, examining the systems of extraction, production and consumption behind it. The collaboration with Artek traces its origins to Cambio, Formafantasma’s investigation into the global timber industry, presented at London’s Serpentine Galleries in 2020. Building on this research, the studio and Artek began examining the manufacturer’s supply chain and established standards of wood selection, questioning conventional ideas of visual uniformity and material quality.
Introduced in 2023, Stool 60 Wild Birch became the starting point for Artek’s Forest Collection, launched in 2024. By allowing the natural characteristics of the wood to remain visible, the collaboration proposes a new aesthetic of sustainability, one in which imperfections are not only accepted but celebrated, encouraging wider, wilder and more responsible uses of wood.
Explore Stool 60 Wild Birch at no-ga.com or at the Nordiska Galleriet Stockholm flagship store.
Photography credits:
2-5. Photography by Jussi Hellsten for Artek
6-7. Making of the Stool 60, photography by Mikko Ryhänen for Artek
8-10 Historical making of the Stool 60. Photography by Mauno Mannelin, © Artek Collection / Alvar Aalto Museum.
11. Photography by Bryan Saragosa for Artek
12. Photography courtesy of Artek
