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.
Warren Platner Custom Wall Sconce
By Warren Platner
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren Platner Associates architects: Wall sconce. Custom for important commission. Features lift-up. Mirrored polished brass shield with four steel louvers.
Brass, Steel
Rewire Custom Pivot Sconce
By Rewire
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rewire Custom Pivot Sconce. Custom finishes and sizes available upon request. Each light requires one E26 75w maximum bulb. Bulbs not provided. Priced and...
Brass
Solana Wall Sconces
By Blueprint Lighting
Located in Westport, CT
The "Solana" wall mount sconce or reading light is strongly influenced by Scandinavian, Danish, French, and Italian Mid-Century Modernism. The walnut back plate (available in natural...
Enamel, Brass
Pop Wall Sconces
By Blueprint Lighting
Located in Westport, CT
The dramatic POP Wall Sconce in Bronze and Black enamel. This design is influenced by both French and Italian Mid-Century Modernism and is a perfect PO...
Enamel, Bronze
Centric Wall Sconces
By Blueprint Lighting
Located in Westport, CT
The Centric wall sconce is a stately take on French modernism, featuring a spun metal mesh shade nestled into a large solid brass bowl. Part of our...
Brass, Enamel
Rewire Custom Tulip Perforated Sconces
By Rewire
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rewire custom perforated sconces. Available in white black or selection of RAL colors. Each sconce takes one E26 100w maximum bulb. PRICED AND SOLD I...
Metal
Rewire Custom Reflect Glass Sconce
By Rewire
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Brass and handblown glass sconce custom manufactured by rewire. Each globe takes one E26 100W maximum bulb.
Brass
Rewire Custom Shield Sconce
By Rewire
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rewire Custom Shield Sconce. Custom finishes available upon request. Each sconce requires two E12 60w max bulbs. Bulbs not included. Price...
Brass
Jenny Wall Sconce
By Blueprint Lighting
Located in Westport, CT
Named for multi-hyphenate Jenny Mollen—NYT best-selling author, actress, design enthusiast, mom of 2, and wife of actor Jason Biggs. From our Chief Luminary, Kelly Aaron: "I have been working closely with Jenny off and on for the past year while she gives her NYC apartment a facelift—it's been so fun! She and I share a love of 1950s French design, which is obviously a hallmark of the Blueprint aesthetic. One day Jenny texted a pic of a single vintage mid-century French wall sconce she loved and asked if Blueprint could make it for her. Funny enough—I, too, had seen that same sconce the day before and already had my Creative Director/Husband figuring out how to fabricate it. How great is that?! It was meant to be!" The Jenny sconce...
Brass, Enamel
Rewire Custom Perforated Sconce
By Rewire
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rewire Custom Perforated Sconce. Sconces can be powder coated in various colors. Requires one E26 60w maximum bulb. Priced and sold individually.
Metal, Brass
Custom French Sconces ( Fr. 1950S)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Custom French Sconces ( Fr. 1950S) Petaled bent brass folded over an etched glass diffuser. Our lamping consists of a dual-b22 socket type. Dual e14 socket-type, adapted for the US....
Brass
Rewire Custom Brass Perforated Sconce
By Rewire
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rewire Custom Brass Perforated Sconce. Various finishes available upon request. Requires one E26 100w maximum bulb. Priced and sold individually.
Brass
$1,764 / item
H 20.08 in W 3.55 in D 6.7 in
Art Deco Wall Sconce, Hand-Crafted Brass & Glass, Custom Finishes
Located in Rebais, FR
Customer can choose from : Nickel finish Gold finish Chrome finish Old bronze Size
Brass
Pair of Rare Ceiling Lights by Warren Platner
By Warren Platner
Located in Atlanta, GA
Custom design by Warren Platner for a private house in Connecticut, these ceiling lights are a rarity in the designer's repertoire. Constructed in...
Brass, Steel
Warren Platner Custom Sconces
By Warren Platner
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren Platner Associates architects: Custom sconces for European commission. Mirrored polished brass shield with three steel louvers for diffused dramat...
Brass, Steel
Warren Platner Floor Lamp
By Warren Platner
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A Platner floor lamp with individually welded nickel plated steel rods and round glass top ,a chromed shaft with early chromed ball pulls topped by ...
Chrome, Steel
Warren Platner Chandelier
By Warren Platner
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren Platner Asscociates Architects: Custom Chandelier for Important commission. Mirrored polished brass shield with 8 steel louvers.
Metal, Brass
A Pair of Mid-Century Warren Platner Lamp Tables by Knoll
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Astoria, NY
A pair of Warren Platner lamp side tables,by Knoll, nickel-plated wire bases,pole lamps, glass tops.
Brass