Eero Saarinen Tables

Finnish-American modernist icon Eero Saarinen might be best known for his architectural works — the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the TWA Flight Center in New York and Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., for instance — but his vintage tables and other original contributions to mid-century furniture design should not be overlooked.

Legendary furnishings designed by Saarinen like his durable side tables, the Womb chair, the Tulip chair and the Pedestal table are still frequently used in interiors today — and often copied at more affordable prices. Born in Finland, Saarinen immigrated to the United States with his family at age 13. His father, Eliel Saarinen, led the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at the famous Cranbrook Academy of Art outside Detroit, a school that became a hotbed for mid-century modern designers. The younger Saarinen worked and taught at the academy, too, befriending design pioneers such as Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia and Florence Knoll.

The Pedestal series grew out of Saarinen’s desire “to clear up the slum of legs” beneath tables. His first foray into the concept of a streamlined undercarriage was a table designed for the Kingswood School for girls, Cranbrook’s partner institution, which saw the four legs of a table cinched together to make room for chairs and legs beneath it. This piece of furniture would ultimately lead Saarinen to design a model with a circular top that sat upon a single swooped cast-aluminum column that flared out into a circular base — the Pedestal table, today manufactured by Knoll with tabletops available in a variety of materials.

On 1stDibs, the collection of vintage Eero Saarinen tables includes Pedestal dining tables, oval coffee tables, Tulip side tables with Verde Alpi marble tabletops and more.

Eero Saarinen tables for sale on 1stDibs

Eero Saarinen tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive objects are frequently made of metal and designed with extraordinary care. In our collection of Eero Saarinen tables, there are many options to choose from, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. 104 vintage editions of these items are in stock, while there is also 1 modern edition to choose from. Many of the original tables by Eero Saarinen were created in North America during the 20th century in the Mid-Century Modern style. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider tables by Adrian Pearsall, Mastercraft and Herman Miller. The prices for Eero Saarinen tables can vary depending on size, time period and other attributes. The price for these items starts at $838 and tops out at $24,000, while pieces like these can sell for $3,200 on average.

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Questions About Eero Saarinen Tables

How tall is an Eero Saarinen table?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
An Eero Saarinen table is 28.25” high. It comes in a variety of widths, with a 42” round table seating 4 to 5 people. You can shop a selection of Eero Saarinen designs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
Are tulip tables sturdy?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
With a cast iron or aluminum alloy base, rest assured, the tulip table is indeed sturdy. With its centrally-placed leg, the style of the table was designed to be functional and structurally solid. You’ll find a variety of tulip tables from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
What is a tulip table?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2024
A tulip table is a dining table or occasional table of a certain shape. It’s typically characterized by a slender stem-like pedestal base and a round tabletop. Its name is drawn from the name given to chairs that are part of a collection that Finnish-American designer and architect Eero Saarinen created for iconic mid-century furniture manufacturer Knoll during the 1950s.

The tables in Saarinen’s acclaimed series were called Pedestal tables, while the chairs were called Tulip chairs, armless or not, owing to their flower bulb-like shape. Today, design lovers everywhere frequently refer to Saarinen's Pedestal tables as tulip tables, and any table that looks like a Pedestal table is generally referred to as a tulip table, whether or not Saarinen had anything to do with it.

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Where is Eero Saarinen from?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
Eero Saarinen was originally from Finland. He was born in Kirkkonummi in 1910. In 1923, his family moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The architect and designer lived in the U.S. for much of the remainder of his life. He died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1991. Shop a selection of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
Who is Eero Saarinen?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect and designer and 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, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

Saarinen’s designs for Knoll, such as the Womb chair, Tulip chair and Pedestal table, are acclaimed all over the world.

Find a selection of vintage Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
Is Eero Saarinen a postmodernist?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
No, Eero Saarinen was not a postmodernist. The work of the Finnish-American architect and furniture designer is primarily associated with modernism. His best known designs for seating and tables, created during the 1940s and 1950s, were manufactured by Knoll, a furniture brand and a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States.

Postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s (Saarinen died in 1961).

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Who is Eero Saarinen’s father?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
Eero Saarinen's father was Eliel Saarinen, a well-known Finnish-American architect. In 1923, he moved Eero and the rest of his family from their native Finland to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he and his wife Loja taught at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Eliel was named president at Cranbook in 1932.

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How do I pronounce Eero Saarinen?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
To pronounce Eero Saarinen, say "EH-row SAH-ruh-nuhn." The architect and designer was born in Kirkkonummi, Finland, in 1910 but was raised in Michigan in the United States. Saarinen is known for his sculptural architecture projects as well as the innovative modernist furniture he designed for Knoll.

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What did Eero Saarinen design?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
Eero Saarinen designed many pieces of furniture as well as acclaimed buildings and monuments during his lifetime. Saarinen created the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport, the Gateway Arch in Missouri, and Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Some of Saarinen’s most famous furniture designs include the Pedestal table, the Womb chair and the Tulip chair.

Shop a collection of vintage Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
What is Eero Saarinen famous for?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 16, 2024
Eero Saarinen is famous for his work as a designer and architect. He was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Saarinen designed the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and many other structures. As a furniture designer, he is best known for his Grasshopper chair, Tulip chair and Womb lounge chair and ottoman. Find a collection of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
What materials did Eero Saarinen use?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
Eero Saarinen is a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer that worked with a variety of mediums, including steel, glass and concrete. Eero Saarinen is also credited with the creation of some notable styles of furniture, including the Tulip chair. Browse a variety of Eero Saarinen designed furniture on 1stDibs.
What material did Eero Saarinen use?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
Eero Saarinen used a variety of materials in his furniture designs. Some of his designs feature hardwood frames, but he didn't work in wood exclusively. His Tulip chair consists of a fiberglass seat mounted on a cast aluminum base. You'll find a range of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
Why did Eero Saarinen move to Hamden?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
Eero Saarinen moved the design firm started by his father from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, to Hamden, Connecticut, in1961, but no authoritative sources state why. Most likely, he had a desire to be closer to the campus of Yale University. Saarinen graduated from the post-secondary institution in 1934 and designed buildings on the campus. Find a range of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
What is the concept of Eero Saarinen's work?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2024
The concept of Eero Saarinen's work was to convey expressive statements through buildings and furniture. The keynotes of his modern designs were simplicity, strength and grace. The organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen's furniture and his best-known structures, like the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, went on to influence generations of architects and designers. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of Eero Saarinen furniture.
Why was Eero Saarinen a modern architect?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 31, 2024
Eero Saarinen is considered a modern architect for a number of reasons. An innovative merging of the International Style and the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright can be found in his acclaimed building projects and monuments. He worked with steel and concrete, just as his modernist peers had, and the neo-futuristic forms that characterize his architecture are those commonly associated with modernism.

Through his work as an architect and designer, 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, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

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.

Like all modernist designers of the mid-century era, Saarinen was interested in the new technology and new and venturesome applications for materials that became widely available for the production of domestic goods in the postwar era. Thanks to Florence Knoll, a pioneering designer in her own right, his famous designs for seating and tables, created during the 1940s and 1950s, were manufactured by Knoll, which was a prominent influence in the rise of modern design in the United States.

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Can you change Eero Saarinen chair legs?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
Whether you can replace Eero Saarinen chair legs depends on the chair. You can most easily swap out the legs on pieces that feature wooden dowels like the Lilac Organic. You will likely find it more difficult to replace legs on chairs that include metal bases like the Executive arm chair or pedestals like the Tulip. You'll find a collection of Eero Saarinen chairs on 1stDibs.
What did Eero Saarinen believe was the architect's role?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertFebruary 7, 2024
Eero Saarinen believed that the architect's role was to create structures that enhance daily life and inspire people to consider new possibilities. He thought that buildings should suit their intended purpose well and provide comfortable accommodations while at the same time being aesthetically appealing. Some of his best-known structures include the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. On 1stDibs, explore a variety of Eero Saarinen furniture.
What is the history of Eero Saarinen's Womb chair?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2024
The history of Eero Saarinen's Womb Chair dates back to the late 1940s. It was then that designer and entrepreneur Florence Knoll challenged her friend, Eero Saarinen, to create the most comfortable chair ever made. To succeed at the task, Saarinen sought to evoke what he imagined was the comfortable, secure feeling of being in the womb and set out to design the now iconic chair. Production of the Womb chair began in 1948, and it didn't take long for the seat to become a cultural phenomenon. In the decade following its release, it appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial, a New Yorker magazine cartoon and a Norman Rockwell painting on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. Today, Knoll offers the seat in 15 upholstery options, and when Saarinen's famous TWA terminal reopened as a hotel in 2019, Womb chairs were featured prominently in the guest rooms. Explore a collection of Eero Saarinen Womb chairs on 1stDibs.
What materials did Eero Saarinen use for his pedestal chairs?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
Eero Saarinen’s famed pedestal chairs, although streamlined in appearance, are crafted with a variety of materials from aluminum and molded fiberglass to the plastic-bonded finish. You can shop a selection of Eero Saarinen pieces from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
What style is Eero Saarinen’s St. Louis Gateway Arch?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
Historians classify Eero Saarinen's St. Louis Gateway Arch as modern architecture. This is due largely to the simple curving shape of the arch and its perfect symmetry. In addition, the arch reflects Neo-futurism, a forward-looking movement that frequently incorporated steel, concrete and glass. On 1stDibs, find a variety of Eero Saarinen furniture designs.