ASKO and Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio: Celebrating 75 Years

ASKO takes the Ball Chair to Milan Design Week 2025!

ASKO Appliances is celebrating their 75th anniversary at Milan Design Week 2025 with an exhibition proudly reflecting Asko’s rich Scandinavian design heritage.

Eero Aarnio Originals is honored to be a part of the exhibition. Our iconic Ball Chairs will beshowcased at the ASKOAppliancesexhibition in the Brera Design District. The Ball Chair was introduced by ASKO furniture division in 1966 and has since become an iconic symbol of modern design, known for its timeless innovation and exceptional craftsmanship.

This collaboration between Eero Aarnio Originals and ASKO Appliances offers an unique opportunity to explore the essence of authentic design and the chance to experience the same product from two different eras side by side. As part of this exhibition, Eero Aarnio Originals will present a Ball chair as it is manufactured and upholstered today, next to a vintage Ball Chair from the 1970s. The chair has been carefully restored at the Eero Aarnio Originals atelier in Finland, showcasing the uniformity in quality manufacturing. With new upholstery and surface touch-ups, this vintage piece is ready for a new chapter in 2025.

Eero Aarnio's classic fiberglass Ball Chair - a Scandinavian design icon at Milan Design Week

ASKO played a significant role in the history of the Ball Chair.

Eero Aarnio began his career as a freelancer in the early 1960s, dreaming of creating a memorable piece of furniture. Fascinated by fiberglass, he wondered if the material could be used for furniture design. Aarnio and his family needed a chair large enough for all of them to sit together at home, which led him to sketch the Ball Chair in January 1963.

Despite presenting the design to several manufacturers, no one was interested. In 1965, Aarnio reached out to Asko, where he had worked before, and he pitched the Ball Chair. ASKO’s team were immediately impressed and decided to showcase it at the 1966 Cologne Furniture Fair. Initially met with skepticism, the chair caught attention when eight pieces were produced and displayed, accompanied by a bold slogan: “Great things are coming from ASKO.” The Ball Chair’s debut was a success, with orders flooding in from 30 countries within a week.

The Legendary Ball Chair Returns to Its Roots at ASKO's Milan Design Week Exhibition

“ Since I tend to simplify things, I removed all the corners”
– Eero Aarnio

Past Meets Present: Eero Aarnio's Ball Chair Showcased at ASKO's 75th Anniversary

Soon after, the Ball Chair was featured in major media outlets like Helsingin Sanomat and the New York Times, propelling it to international fame. It became a design icon, featured in museums, movies, music videos, and magazines.

Although often associated with space-age design, Aarnio never intended for the chair to have a futuristic aesthetic. Instead, he created it as a personal, cocoon-like space to escape from the outside world. The Ball Chair remains an iconic symbol of design, beloved for its unique form and timeless appeal.

Ball Chair - timeless Scandinavian furniture design presented by ASKO Appliances and Eero Aarnio Originals

Still today, in his 90s, Eero continues to draw and take part in the design process as Eero Aarnio Originals carries out his legacy to the future generations.

This collaboration between Eero Aarnio Originals and ASKO Appliances gives a great opportunity to showcase the meaning of an authentic design through the process behind the product. Highlighting his production and design-thinking that combine the modernist Finnish figurative language and international avantgarde approach, the Ball chair is the perfect example for projecting Eero’s understanding of production processes and visual understanding. A chair is not only a chair but a mindfully designed and produced object that can travel through time and serve generations in continuously new ways.

Visit ASKO at Milan Design Week 2025
8-13th of April, 2025
Via Delle Erbe 2, Brera Design District, Milan

Eero Aarnio sketching in his Helsinki studio