Warren Platner Bronze Side Table For Knoll

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.

Find vintage Warren Platner furniture on 1stDibs.

While the range of styles and variety of materials have broadened over time, the priceless functionality of side tables has held true.

Vintage, new and antique side tables are an integral accent to our seating and provide additional, necessary storage in our homes. They can be a great foundation for that perfect focal piece of art that you want all your guests to see as you congregate for cocktails in the living room. Side tables are indeed ideal as a stage for your decorative objects or plants in your library or your study, and they are a practical space for the novel or stack of design magazines you keep close to your sofa.

Sure, owning a pair of side tables isn’t as imperative as having a coffee table in the common area, though most of us would struggle without them. Those made of metal, stone or wood are frequently featured in stylish interiors, and if you’re shopping for side tables, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

With respect to the height of your side tables, a table that is as high as your lounge chair or the arm of your couch is best. Some folks are understandably fussy about coherence in a living room area, but coherence doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t mix and match. Feel free to introduce minimalist mid-century modern wooden side tables designed by Paul McCobb alongside your contemporary metal coffee table. If you think it isn’t possible to pair a Hollywood Regency–style side table with a contemporary sofa, we’re here to tell you that it is. Even a leggy side table can balance a chunky sofa well. Try to keep a limited color palette in mind if you’re planning on mixing furniture styles and materials, and don’t be afraid to add a piece of abstract art to shake things up.

As far as the objects you’re planning to place on your side tables, if you have heavy items such as stone or sculptures to display, a fragile glass-top table would not be an ideal choice. Think about what material would best support your collectibles and go with that. If it’s a particularly small side table, along with a tall, sleek floor lamp, it can make for a great way to fill a corner of the room you wouldn’t otherwise easily be able to populate.

Whether you are looking for an antique 19th-century carved oak side table or a vintage rattan side table (because rattan never went away!), the collection on 1stDibs has you covered.