On June 3, 2020, restaurants in Finland resumed their work after the pandemic. Remarkably, the legendary Savoy restaurant in Helsinki reopened its doors on the same day it first opened for visitors - June 3, 1937.
The original Savoy interior was designed in 1937 by architects and designers Aino and Alvar Aalto. In the interior details, they have embodied their human-centered approach to design. Here the love of the Aalto couple for comfortable and “hospitable” furniture, as well as high-quality natural materials is fully demonstrated.
In 2019, British designer Ilse Crawford and her Studioilse were commissioned to design a new interior concept for the Savoy restaurant. More than 80 years of operation, rearrangements and other changes significantly influenced Aalto's original design. Despite the fact that certain parts of the interior remained relatively close to the original, the space needed the attention of the designer.
After nine months of design, in December 2019 - January 2020, a six-week renovation took place: the original structures were restored and carpentry work was carried out. In addition, the layout of the premises has been redesigned according to the original proportions that can be seen in historical photographs and drawings by Aalto.
“Our work is rooted in the original Aalto interior of 1937, not only returning the restaurant to its origins, but also renovating it in accordance with today's reality. The Savoy didn't have to be reinvented, you just had to patch it up and give it some love,”explains Ilse Crawford.
The Finnish company Artek, founded by Aalto in 1935 and still producing furniture, lamps and accessories based on the designs of the famous architectural couple, joined the work early to restore the original chairs and sofas and add the recently launched classic pendant lamp to the project. A201 and A330S Golden Bell lamps. A special version of the popular 611 chair was also produced for the indoor terrace.
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zooming 1/6 Armchair 402 (1933), floor lamp A810 (1959), by Alvar Aalto © Artek
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zooming 2/6 Floor lamp A810 (1959), armchair 401 (1933), by Alvar Aalto © Artek
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zooming 3/6 Chair 611 (1929) by Alvar Aalto © Artek
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zooming 4/6 Savoy Restaurant © Artek
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zooming 5/6 Savoy Restaurant © Artek
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zooming 6/6 A330S Golden Bell lamp (1937), by Alvar Aalto © Artek
Designed in 1929, Chair 611 is one of the first pieces of furniture designed by Alvar Aalto. The iconic version of the textile band armchair was introduced two decades later and has continued to be produced since then. For the updated interiors of the Savoy restaurant, Artek has developed a special version of the oak chair with a leather strap braid on the back and a seat covered in black leather. This chair is available in limited quantities at Artek's flagship stores in Helsinki and Tokyo.
The A330S pendant lamp, designed by Aalto in 1937 for the Savoy restaurant and presented in the Finnish pavilion at the World's Fair in Paris the same year, was unofficially called the Golden Bell. The sculptural body of the Golden Bell, which is manufactured as a single piece of brass or steel, has the characteristic rounded, organic shape characteristic of Aalto's work. It creates a patch of warm light on a horizontal surface, highlighting the dining table or sitting area in the living room. The perforated headband creates a distinctive “crown effect” and protects against glare by providing warm, diffused light.
All sofas and most of the chairs and armchairs in a palette of warm beige, black and white shades, including two banquette sofas, 16 Aino Aalto chairs and about 60 club chairs, were re-upholstered at the Artek factory especially for Savoy. All the visible wooden parts of the chairs have been retained, while the hidden structural elements have been replaced with new ones.
Materials provided by Artek.
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zooming 1/5 Savoy Restaurant in 1937 © Artek
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zooming 2/5 Savoy Restaurant in 1937 © Artek
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zooming 3/5 Savoy Restaurant in 1937 © Artek
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zooming 4/5 Savoy Restaurant in 1937 © Artek
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zooming 5/5 Savoy Restaurant in 1937 © Artek
