
Saarinen Executive Armless ChairBy Eero Saarinen
With the founding of the Knoll Planning Unit at Knoll Associates in 1946, the modern open-plan office was born. Soon after the launch of the internationally celebrated design firm’s workplace-focused division, the Saarinen Executive Armless chair would emerge as one of its seating staples. A departure from more rigid office seating, the 1950 design by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen (1910–61) offered some of the comfort of his 1948 Womb chair in a more formal shape. Nicknamed “that chair with the hole in the back” for its sculptural seat back, it fit easily into mid-century boardrooms and corporate cafeterias as part of the harmonious interiors designed by Florence Knoll, a legendary figure in mid-century modernism.
Saarinen and Knoll met while they were studying at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where Saarinen’s father, Eliel, was dean. Their lifelong friendship led to some of the most revered designs of the 20th century. Like his work in architecture, from the Gateway Arch to the TWA Flight Center, Saarinen’s furniture used innovations in postwar materials to create dynamic volumes. The Executive Armless chair expanded on Saarinen’s ergonomic experiments in molded plywood furniture that he had designed in collaboration with fellow Cranbrook alumnus Charles Eames (with assistance from Ray Eames), work which had been honored in the Museum of Modern Art’s Organic Design Competition.
The chairs introduced as the 71 and 72 Series found their initial multipurpose use in the Knoll office interiors but soon were popular in home dining rooms and living spaces. Knoll, Inc. continues to produce the Saarinen Executive Armless chair, with options updating the design’s original fiberglass form including an exposed plastic back or upholstered polyurethane shell joined by a contoured plywood seat and sturdy legs in steel or wood.
Executive Armless Chair
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Steel
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Bentwood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Bentwood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Bentwood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel, Chrome
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Mohair, Upholstery, Oak
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel, Chrome
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1950s Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Acrylic
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Chairs
Steel
Early 2000s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Leather
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wool, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Upholstery, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
Early 2000s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut


