1960s Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair with Original White Vinyl Upholstery
About the Item
- Creator:Eero Saarinen (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.5 in (90.17 cm)Width: 40 in (101.6 cm)Depth: 34 in (86.36 cm)
- Style:Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:
Eero Saarinen
Through his work as an architect and designer, Eero Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best-known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York (opened 1962), Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1962) and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (1965).
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
At Cranbrook, Saarinen also met Florence Schust Knoll, who, as director of her husband Hans Knoll's eponymous furniture company, would put Saarinen’s best designs into production. These include the Grasshopper chair, designed in 1946 and so named because its angled bentwood frame resembles the insect; the Tulip chair (1957), a flower-shaped fiberglass shell mounted on a cast-aluminum pedestal; and the lushly contoured Womb lounge chair and ottoman (1948). In his furniture as in his architecture, the keynotes of Eero Saarinen’s designs are simplicity, strength and grace.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen tables, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Lebanon, PA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 2023 Eero Saarinen For Knoll Full Size Womb Chair in Two-Tone VelvetBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is an original full-size Womb lounge chair, model 70L, designed by Eero Saarinen for Florence Knoll in 1946. This particular example was manufactured by Knoll in 2023. The piece...Category
Vintage 1940s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 1960s Eero Saarinen for Knoll Tulip Dining Table & Four White Tulip Side ChairsBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is a gorgeous 1960s vintage Tulip dining table and chair set, designed by Eero Saarinen and produced by Knoll. The set ca...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Dining Room Sets
MaterialsAluminum
- 1960s Eero Saarinen for Knoll Executive Armchair in Tan FabricBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a 1960s production executive armchair with metal legs designed by Eero Saarinen and produced by Knoll. This particular example has tan fabric upholstery. Condition overall is...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 1960s Marcel Breuer for Knoll Isokon Chaise Lounge Chair New White UpholsteryBy Knoll, Marcel BreuerLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is an original 1960s Marcel Breuer for Isokon chaise lounge chair. This example has just been masterfully reupholstered by Forthright NYC...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- 1971 Set of 4 Eero Saarinen for Knoll Side Chairs w/ Edelman Leather UpholsteryBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a set of four Saarinen armless executive side chairs on pedestal bases, originally designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll in 1950. These particular examples are circa 1971 produ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 1963 Pair of Eero Saarinen for Knoll Red Vinyl Armless Executive Dining ChairsBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is a pair of armless executive dining / side chairs, designed by Eero Saarinen and produced by Knoll International in 1963. The chairs retain original labels from Met...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Early Wool Womb Chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, 1960sBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Aachen, NWEarly 2-tone wool Womb chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. The groundbreaking Womb chair was designed in 1948 by Eero Saarinen at Florence Knoll's request for "a chair that was lik...Category
Mid-20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Eero Saarinen for Knoll 'Womb' Chair with Ottoman in Blue UpholsteryBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Waalwijk, NLEero Saarinen for Knoll, 'Womb' chair with ottoman, fabric, metal, United States, 1946/48 This shelled, cushioned lounge chair is designed between 1946 and 1948 by Eero Saarinen. Th...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1960's Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and OttomanBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Palm Springs, CAA lovely example of the Iconic Womb Chair and Ottoman designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. We have had it re-upholstered in a genuine Knoll fabric, Crossroads in a Honey Bee color. The fabric content is 43% Polyester, 37% Post Industrial Recycled Polyester, 20% Post Consumer Recycled Polyester, from the Knoll website. The Ottoman dimensions are 25x19 inches and it's 15.5 inches tall. The ottoman bears the Knoll label from 320 park avenue which dates the set to the 1960's. The steel legs are in generally good shape for their age, but the ottoman's have some corrosion particularly on one side, please see the detailed photos. It is pictured in our gallery with a Verner Panton onion...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Eero Saarinen for Knoll Boucle Womb Chair, 2019By Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Costa Mesa, CAEero Saarinen for Knoll Boucle Womb Chair, 2019. Covered in custom Flax Boucle from Knoll. The expressive sculptural forms of the Eero Saarinen Wom...Category
21st Century and Contemporary North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge C...
MaterialsBouclé
- Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and OttomanBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Philadelphia, PAEero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and ottoman. Probably one of the most comfortable chairs ever created! This chair and ottoman d...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Early Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair, 1950By Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Chicago, ILEarly Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair, 1950. Upholstery is all original. We have in house upholstery if interested for an additional charge....Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron