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.
$2,402Sale Price|28% Off
Dining table by Warren Platner
By Warren Platner
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Dining table by Warren Platner for Knoll International, USA circa 1968. Round top in massive oak recovered with black leather. Basement in chrome plated steel. The leather is in its ...
Steel
Warren Platner for Knoll Furniture Side Table
By Warren Platner
Located in Pasadena, TX
This is the iconic design by Warren Platner for Knoll Furniture. This side table has a glass top that sits atop the iconic base that's made of nickel plated steel. The steel wire for...
Steel, Nickel
$20,000 / set
H 30.32 in W 35.44 in D 23.63 in
Vintage Warren Platner Lounge Chairs and Table for Knoll
By Warren Platner
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Pair of lounge chairs and table designed by Warren Platner, circa 1970s. A Stunning set in original upholstery.
Wire
Warren Platner for Knoll Mid Century Side Table
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Warren Platner for Knoll Mid Century side table This table measures: 16 wide x 16 deep x 18 inches high We take our photos in a controlled lighting studio to show as much detail as...
Metal
$1,200Sale Price|25% Off
H 18 in Dm 16 in
Warren Platner for Knoll International Wire Side Table, circa 1970s
By Knoll, Warren Platner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautiful original production wire side table by Warren Platner for Knoll International, designed in 1966 and this example circa 1970s to 1980s. From Warren Platner's iconic coll...
Metal
Warren Platner Custom Telephone Table
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Warren Platner custom telephone table for Knoll International, USA, circa 1970. A rare example of Platner’s refined modernist design, this piece features a green leather-wrapped body...
Steel, Chrome
Warren Platner for Knoll Coffee Table in Steel and Glass
By Warren Platner
Located in Argelato, BO
The legendary coffee table designed in 1958 by Warren Platner for Knoll International. An absolute icon of 1960s American modernism. The base is a sculptural interweaving of hand-ben...
Steel
$1,170Sale Price|40% Off
H 18.75 in W 24 in D 24 in
Vintage Nickel and Marble Side Table Designed by Warren Platner for Knoll
By Warren Platner
Located in Minneapolis, MN
This Warren Platner side table for Knoll is from a high-end estate that was furnished in the late 60s and early 70s with modern furnishings. The wire frame is in a nickel finish and ...
Marble, Nickel
$5,000
H 28.5 in W 47.5 in D 47.5 in
Mid Century Modern Nickel Dining Table by Warren Platner for Knoll, c1970s
By Knoll, Warren Platner
Located in Chino Hills, CA
Introducing a stunning vintage mid-century modern dining table designed by the renowned Warren Platner for Knoll, circa 1970s. This exquisite piece showcases Platner's iconic design ...
Metal, Nickel, Steel
Warren Platner, Steel, Glass, Coffee Table, United States, 21st C.
By Warren Platner
Located in Stamford, CT
Warren Platner, Steel, Glass, Coffee Table, United States, 21st C. A later rendition of Warren Planter's famous chromed wire coffee or cocktail table. Sold without the glass top - p...
Chrome
Pair of Warren Platner Side Tables
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of Warren Platner Side Tables, welded curved nickel plated steel rods to circular frames, simultaneously serving as structure and ornament with inset oak tops.
Nickel
Warren Platner Attr. Steel & Glass Dining Table For Knoll
By Warren Platner
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Classic Mid Century design by Warren Platner. Black painted steel and glass dining table originally produced by for Knoll with regimented hourglass form covered with a 3/4" thick bev...
Steel
1960s Warren Platner for Knoll Dining Table with 54" Oak Top Model 3716T
By Knoll, Warren Platner
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Platner dining table, model 3716T, initially designed by Warren Platner for Knoll in 1966. This example dates to the late 1960s. Its design features a base constructed with...
Steel
Warren Platner for Knoll Coffee Table in Nickel and Glass, Italy 1960s
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Naples, IT
Elegant coffee table with a frame consisting of thin chrome-plated metal rods, welded to a horizontal metal rod placed at the bottom and one at the top, which serve as both supportin...
Nickel
Warren Platner for Knoll Wood and Steel Wire Mid Century Modern Coffee Table
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A Warren Platner coffee table for Knoll. A simply stunning piece of design from the mid century modern era. These tables featuring an iconic base design, with a curving cone of steel...
Steel
Sold
H 27.25 in W 53.25 in D 53.25 in
Round Smoked Glass Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner for Knoll Dining Room Table
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Stamford, CT
Round Smoked Glass Mid-Century Modern Warren Platner for Knoll dining room table Vintage Warren Platner for Knoll Mid-Century modern dining table with circular tempered tinted bevel...
Steel
Warren Platner Steel and Glass Dining Table for Knoll
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Nickel plated steel and glass dining table designed by Warren Platner for Knoll Int.
Steel, Nickel
Warren Platner Collection Dining Table Base, Polished Nickel, Knoll, 1966
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Warren Platner Collection dining table base , Polished Nickel, Knoll, 1966. In 1966, the Platner Collection captured the “decorative, gentle, graceful” shapes that were beginning ...
Stainless Steel
Midcentury Dining Table by Warren Platner for Knoll with Carrara Marble Top
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Milford, NH
A sleek form round dining table designed by William Platner for Knoll International with a Carrara white marble top surmounting a twisting steel rod or...
Marble, Steel
Warren Platner for Knoll Midcentury Chrome Dining Table
By Warren Platner
Located in Rio Vista, CA
The iconic Mid-Century Modern chrome basket dining table designed by Warren Platner for Knoll. Features a 34 inch diameter base made of curved steel rods topped with a thick, smoked ...
Chrome
Original Knoll Warren Platner Dining Table from 1960s
By Warren Platner
Located in MIlano, IT
Original Knoll Warren Platner dining Table from 1960 Stunning round, out size dining table from 1960 period by Warren Platner for Knoll The top is in ...
Wood
Warren Platner Dining Table for Knoll International
By Warren Platner
Located in Denton, TX
Steel rod table with nickel finish designed by Warren Platner for Knoll, circa 1960s. With original glass
Steel, Nickel
Warren Platner Steel and Glass Dining Table for Knoll
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Nickel plated steel and glass dining table designed by Warren Platner for Knoll Int.
Steel, Nickel
Modern Warren Platner for Knoll Chrome Coffee Table with Glass Top
By Knoll, Warren Platner
Located in Houston, TX
Modern round coffee table designed by Warren Platner for Knoll. The base is made from chrome and provides a nice sculptural and elegant design and topped with a round glass top. Perf...
Chrome
Warren Platner for Knoll Nickel-Plated Dining Table
By Knoll, Warren Platner
Located in Dallas, TX
Table has a 60" glass top with slight bevel. Can be replaced by any size glass top if desired.
Metal, Nickel