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Lucite Tulip Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Lucite Tulip Chair?
Materials: Plastic Furniture
Arguably the world’s most ubiquitous man-made material, plastic has impacted nearly every industry. In contemporary spaces, new and vintage plastic furniture is quite popular and its use pairs well with a range of design styles.
From the Italian lighting artisans at Fontana Arte to venturesome Scandinavian modernists such as Verner Panton, who created groundbreaking interiors as much as he did seating — see his revolutionary Panton chair — to contemporary multidisciplinary artists like Faye Toogood, furniture designers have been pushing the boundaries of plastic forever.
When The Graduate's Mr. McGuire proclaimed, “There’s a great future in plastics,” it was more than a laugh line. The iconic quote is an allusion both to society’s reliance on and its love affair with plastic. Before the material became an integral part of our lives — used in everything from clothing to storage to beauty and beyond — people relied on earthly elements for manufacturing, a process as time-consuming as it was costly.
Soon after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, which could mimic luxury products like tortoiseshell and ivory, production hit fever pitch, and the floodgates opened for others to explore plastic’s full potential. The material altered the history of design — mid-century modern legends Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen regularly experimented with plastics in the development of tables and chairs, and today plastic furnishings and decorative objects are seen as often indoors as they are outside.
Find vintage plastic lounge chairs, outdoor furniture, lighting and more on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Seating for You
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.
- Does the Tulip chair swivel?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, the Tulip chair does indeed swivel. It is a pedestal swivel chair made with an aluminum base and a fiberglass shell, which was very innovative when it was designed in the mid-1950s. You can shop a collection of Tulip chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- Who designed the Tulip chair?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMay 30, 2024Eero Saarinen designed the Tulip chair. It was part of Saarinen's Pedestal collection of armless chairs, stools, dining tables and more — a mid-century modernist exercise in simplifying. The series was designed for Knoll, which continues to produce it today. Interestingly, the Tulip armchair's shape suggests one single plastic form, but despite Saarinen's many experiments to achieve this, it is actually constructed in two pieces: an aluminum frame obscured in a plastic finish and a fiberglass upper-shell seat. In two parts or one, it achieves Saarinen's desired streamlined effect. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Eero Saarinen Tulip chairs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To tell if a Tulip Chair is real, check for the Knoll logo and if Eero Saarinen’s signature is engraved on the underside of the chair. These are original markings that should not exist on knock-offs. Shop a large collection of Tulip Chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2024To identify a Saarinen Tulip chair, turn it over and examine its round base. Authentic Tulip chairs will display the Knoll logo and Eero Saarinen's signature. Knock-offs will typically be unmarked or show off a different maker's name. When in doubt, consult a certified appraiser or knowledgeable dealer for assistance with identification. Explore a diverse assortment of Eero Saarinen Tulip chairs on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2023Many chairs can work with a Tulip table. The Tulip armchair, for example, was part of Eero Saarinen’s Pedestal collection of armless chairs, stools, Tulip side tables and more. The series, produced for Knoll, was a mid-century modernist exercise in simplifying, and Tulip chairs, with their curvy contours, match Tulip side tables and Pedestal dining tables very well. However, you can also try other mid-century modern chairs to see what works best in your space. Shop a collection of mid-century modern dining chairs on 1stDibs.
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