When Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said that the new Nokia Lumia and Asha handsets represents ‘something that is deeply Nokia’ at Nokia World 2011, he spoke of the great inspiration he has drawn from famed Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. But just who is Alvar Aalto and what has his legacy brought to the Nokia design table?

Born in Kuortane, Finland in 1898, Alvar Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer who enjoyed a career spanning from the 1920s right through to the 1970s. With his iconic furniture designs and stunning modernist architecture, he has been called the most important Finnish architect of the 20th century.

Thanks to his award-winning designs and Finnish roots, Alvar Aalto became a key inspiration for the design of the Nokia Lumia and Asha phones and the influence of the Finnish designer can clearly be seen in the clean lines, curved chassis’, precision finish and ergonomic feel of the latest Nokia handsets.

When the Lumia and Asha range were announced at Nokia World 2011, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said, “They represent something that is deeply Nokia” and he went on to explain the huge inspiration that Aalto’s design heritage has afforded the Nokia team in the creation of the new handsets.

"Aalto sought to give items in everyday life a gentler structure," Elop stated. "He wanted to make beautiful, easy-to-use things and make them accessible to people. Nokia shares these Nordic design roots and [the new] products [are] an example of making great design accessible" he continued.

It is this user-focussed approach to design that can be clearly seen in the Lumia and Asha handsets. With their combination of stunning looks and great usability, all six of the new phones in the Lumia and Asha range have been carefully designed to look great and work well, no matter who the user is.

When Alvar Aalto spoke in London back in 1957 he said, "We should work for simple, good, undecorated things…but things which are in harmony with the human being and organically suited to the little man in the street" and the Nokia Lumia and Asha handsets are a personification of this design principle.

With such an inspirational force driving the design of the Nokia Lumia and Asha handsets, it’s no surprise that the result has been as striking as it has; with the Lumia 800 and 710 being by far the best Windows Phones the world has seen to date, and the Asha 200, 201, 300 and 303 impressing in equal measure.

When Alvar Aalto said, “Modern [design] does not mean the use of immature new materials. The main thing is to refine…in a more human direction" his approach was clear. Products need to be built for the end user first and make the product fit neatly into our daily lives; and with the Nokia Lumia and Asha families, Nokia certainly seems to have succeeded in its aim.

The Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone is available for pre-order now, while the Lumia 710, Asha 200, Asha 201, Asha 300 and Asha 303 are all expected within the coming months. But what are your thoughts on the new Lumia and Asha designs and on Nokia’s user-focussed design aesthetic in general? Why not let us know in the Comments below.