Warren Platner Furniture
Though vintage Warren Platner chairs, sofas and interiors are icons of mid-century modernism, the architect and furniture designer took his stylistic inspiration from as far back as 18th-century France, once saying about his seminal collection for Knoll that his design intent was to evoke “the kind of decorative, gentle, graceful kind of design that appeared in period style like Louis XV.”
Indeed, the marriage of modern sensibility and classical grace is a marker of Platner’s style across furnishings and interiors — both genres in which he left an enduring legacy.
Born in 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland, Platner studied architecture at Cornell before cutting his teeth working for design icons like Eero Saarinen and Kevin Roche, eventually serving as head of interior design in the latter’s office. In 1965, Platner opened his own office, in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he continued to hone his particular brand of graceful modernism.
Knoll released the Platner Collection of seating and tables in 1966. (Originally designed in 1962, the suite took nearly four years of development to bring to life.)
The decorative bent-metal-and-glass pieces — an armchair, a dining table and more — make certain nods to the trademarks of his former employers, but also to the shapes of historic European furniture. The sculptural elegance of his line recalls Saarinen’s iconic Tulip collection, which includes armchairs and dining tables, while his materiality aligns with Roche’s cutting-edge use of glass and metal for the headquarters of the Ford Foundation in New York.
Many of Platner’s Knoll pieces would go on to find homes in a certain fabled locale: the Windows on the World restaurant at the original World Trade Center, whose interiors Platner was tapped to outfit in the mid-1970s. Upon the opening of the restaurant in 1976, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger dubbed its style “sensuous modernism” — an apt tagline for Platner’s oeuvre as a whole.
Platner died in 2006 at the age of 86. His furniture is still produced by Knoll, and original examples — along with idiosyncratic custom works he created for interior design clients — are coveted by collectors today.
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21st Century and Contemporary Warren Platner Furniture
Fabric
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Wool
1960s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel, Nickel
1970s Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Bronze
1970s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Marble, Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Marble, Chrome
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal, Chrome
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
2010s North American Other Warren Platner Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Zinc
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Stainless Steel, Nickel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Granite, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Brass, Steel
1980s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Gold Leaf
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Granite, Bronze
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Nickel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Metal
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Nickel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner Furniture
Steel, Chrome
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Crystal, Steel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Leather, Zebra Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal
1970s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Warren Platner Furniture
Aluminum
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Nickel
1970s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Chrome
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Bronze
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal, Chrome
1960s American Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal
1960s Central American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Nickel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Bronze
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Metal, Chrome
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Bronze
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren Platner Furniture
Steel
Warren Platner furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Warren Platner
- What is a Platner chair?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertAugust 8, 2024A Platner chair is an armchair designed by Warren Platner and made from sturdy nickel-plated steel wire rods. It was originally part of the Platner Collection, his seminal work in furniture design. In addition to the armchair, the 1962 series included a dining table, side tables and more. Platner found inspiration for the lightweight chair in pieces like Eero Saarinen’s Tulip chair and tables. But rather than firmly plant his work within the futuristic realm of mid-century modernism, Platner incorporated a graceful aesthetic reminiscent of the Louis XV era. Knoll still produces the Platner armchair today. On 1stDibs, find a diverse assortment of Platner chairs.
Interiors Featuring Warren Platner
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