Shortly after Eero Saarinen (1910–61) joined Florence Knoll at the manufacturer she had established with her husband, Hans, she presented the Finnish-born designer with a serious request: to create for her the world’s most comfortable chair, something, Saarinen recalls, that felt like “a basket full of pillows.”
Presented with the challenge, Saarinen went primal. What, the designer figured, better signifies the very essence of comfort than the womb? "It was designed on the theory that a great number of people have never really felt comfortable and secure since they left the womb,” the designer said of his Womb chair, which began production in 1948. “The chair is an attempt to rectify this maladjustment in our civilization.”
The Womb chair, like many other masterpieces of modernist design, is genius in its simplicity. Comprised of few materials, the chair consists of a fabric-wrapped, molded fiberglass bucket set atop legs of tubular steel. The skeletal look of the frame keeps the chair from appearing bulky despite the seat’s oversized silhouette, which makes it inviting to people of all sizes.
"There seemed to be a need for a large and really comfortable chair to take the place of the old overstuffed chair,” Saarinen once said of his concept.
Indeed, despite being indisputably comfortable, the Womb doesn’t require an abundance of padding and tufting — instead, its comfort owes to a perfectly shaped shell of fiberglass. This new approach to ergonomics both reflected Saarinen’s love of streamlined forms and echoed the kind of experimental work being done by American designers Charles and Ray Eames, who, like Florence Knoll, were friends he'd made at Cranbrook Academy of Art while he taught there.
It didn’t take long for the chair to become a cultural phenomenon; in the decade following its release, it appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial, a New Yorker cartoon and in a Norman Rockwell painting on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. Today, Knoll offers the seat in some 15 upholstery options, and when Saarinen’s famous TWA terminal reopened as a hotel in 2019, Womb chairs featured prominently in the guest rooms, continuing the legacy of this classic design.
Early Production Saarinen Knoll Womb Chair & Ottoman Reupholstered LIC Label
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A wonderful early production Eero Saarinen Knoll Womb Chair and ottoman that we just recently had reupholstered. the fabric we chose is a Knoll Studios “Feeling Plaid” which is 55% R...
Steel
Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and Ottoman in a red Boucle
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Eero Saarinen for Knoll womb Chair and Ottoman in a red Boucle Fabric. This example is 20 years old and very clean! Matching Ottoman is 26" x 20". Probably the most comfortable mi...
Chrome
1st Series of the Womb Chair by Ero Saarinen, Knoll, ca. 1948
By Eero Saarinen
Located in VILLEURBANNE, FR
The Womb Chair stands as one of the most celebrated icons of 20th-century design, born from the collaboration between Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames, and Florence Knoll. Conceived in 1...
Metal
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Shearling
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
Lead Time: Please allow 10 to 12 weeks to restore a vintage Womb Chair and Ottoman in Shearling. "Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Wom...
Sheepskin
$17,800 / set
Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Zebra
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Please allow 10-12 weeks for re-upholstery and restoration of a vintage Womb Chair and Ott...
Zebra Hide
Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in New Zealand Taupe Sheepskin
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Saint Louis, US
Relax and unwind in this beautifully comfortable original Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and ottoman set. The chair is accompanied by an ottoman of which both are fully reupholstered in hi...
Steel
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Texas Sheepskin
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favorite of the Forsyth design team! We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcycled womb chairs are some of our most p...
Sheepskin
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Pouf Ottoman in Patagonia Shearling
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favourite of the Forsyth design team! We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcycled Womb chairs are some of our most p...
Sheepskin
Forsyth Bespoke Womb Chair and Ottoman in New Zealand Sheepskin, Smokey Taupe
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favorite of the Forsyth design team! We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcycled womb chairs are some of our most po...
Sheepskin
$16,800 / item
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair in Zebra
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favorite of the Forsyth design team! We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcycled Womb Chairs are some of our most popul...
Zebra Hide
Eero Saarinen - Lounge Sessel "Womb" Knoll International, 1960er
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Rosendahl, DE
Womb Lounge Chair with ottoman by Knoll International, designed by Eero Saarinen and produced in the 1960s. This iconic chair is renowned for its organic shapes and unparalleled comf...
Steel
Early Restored Mid Century Tan Womb Lounge Chair by Saarinen for Knoll
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Detroit, MI
Note: We have a collection of vintage Eero Saarinen Womb chairs and loveseat settees undergoing restoration and can offer the pieces in multiples and with custom upholstery options. ...
Steel, Chrome
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Suede
By Eero Saarinen
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favorite of the Forsyth design team! “Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Womb Chair at Florence Knoll's request for ‘a chair that was like a basket full of pillows - somet...
Chrome
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Shearling
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
Lead Time: Please allow 10 to 12 weeks to restore a vintage Womb Chair and Ottoman in Shearling. "Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Wom...
Sheepskin
Early Restored Mid Century Ivory Wool Womb Chair by Saarinen for Knoll Multiples
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Detroit, MI
Note: We have a collection of vintage Eero Saarinen Womb chairs and loveseat settees undergoing restoration and can offer the pieces in multiples and with custom upholstery options. ...
Steel, Chrome
Eero Saarinen Womb Chair for Knoll Upholstered in Hand Sewn Champagne Alpaca
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Timeless and iconic mid century modern Womb chair designed in 1948 by Eero Saarinen in response to Florence Knoll's request for a comfortable chair that felt like a basket of pillows...
Chrome
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Patagonia Shearling
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favourite of the Forsyth design team! We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcycled womb chairs are some of our most p...
Sheepskin
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in California Sheepskin
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favourite of the Forsyth design team! We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcylced womb chairs are some of our most pop...
Sheepskin
Forsyth Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Dedar Karakorum
By Eero Saarinen
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favorite of the Forsyth design team! We collected this beauty for its icon status. “Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Womb Chair at Florence Knoll's request for ‘a chair t...
Fabric
Womb Chair & Ottoman in Performance Gray Chenille by Eero Saarinen for Knoll
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Stamford, CT
Good design is often born from a desire to challenge the norm. In the late 1940s, friends and collaborators Florence Knoll and Eero Saarinen found themselves disillusioned by the rig...
Metal, Chrome
Set of Two beige Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman for Knoll, USA, 1960s
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Berlin, DE
Set of two Early Eero Saarinen womb chairs and ottoman for Knoll, USA - 1960s. Newly upholstered in a Knoll fabric. The measurements giv...
Metal
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Dedar Boucle
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
Lead Time: Please allow 10 to 12 weeks to restore a vintage Womb Chair and Ottoman in Dedar Boucle. "Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Womb cha...
Chrome
Vintage Womb Lounge Chair in Brown Cato Wool, Eero Saarinen for Knoll Studio
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Detroit, MI
This vintage Womb lounge chair designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll is from the 1990s as evidenced by the stamped signature and Knoll Studio mark on the leg. This authentic vintage ch...
Steel, Chrome
Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair is Pierre Frey Boucle'
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Dallas, TX
The iconic Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair, newly upholstered in an exquisite bouclé with black frame.
Metal
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair in Australian Sheepskin
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcylced womb chairs are some of our most popular designs. This womb chair will be made to order with the finest Australian sheepskins...
Sheepskin
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Wavy Sheepskin
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
Lead Time: Please allow 10 to 12 weeks to restore a vintage Womb Chair and Ottoman in our wavy New Zealand sheepskin "Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Womb chair at Flore...
Chrome
Forsyth Bespoke Womb Chair and Ottoman in New Zealand Sheepskin, Ivory
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favorite of the Forsyth design team! We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcycled womb chairs are some of our most po...
Sheepskin
Luxurious Soft Womb Chair, by Saarinen for Knoll Switzerland Production, 1960s
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Renens, CH
The Womb Chair was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1946 at the request of Florence Knoll, who wanted a chair that would provide complete comfort: “like a basket full of pillows.” Saarin...
Metal
Eero Saarinen Womb Chair in Charcoal Grey Boucle Wooly Fabric
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Saint Louis, US
Sink into effortless comfort with the iconic Eero Saarinen Womb Chair, reimagined in luxurious charcoal grey boucle. Perfectly reupholstered with a plush feather and foam insert, thi...
Bouclé
Eero Saarinen for Knoll Mid Century Womb Chair with Ottoman
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Eero Saarinen for Knoll Mid Century Womb Chair with Ottoman The chair measures: 41 wide x 35 deep x 36 high, with a seat height of 16 inches and arm height/chair clearance of 21 inc...
Metal
Black Leather Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and Ottoman
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A beautiful black leather Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and Ottoman. Both pieces retain their original labels. The chairs have seen very light use. There are some creases to the...
Steel
1966 Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair w/newer Ottoman Reupholstered
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A wonderful early vintage Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair. The chair dates from 1966. We had it upholstered and it is stamped with the date on the shell of 1966. We have had the c...
Wool
Forsyth Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Dedar Orsetto
By Eero Saarinen
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favorite of the Forsyth design team! We collected this beauty for its icon status. “Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Womb Chair at Florence Knoll's request for ‘a chair t...
Fabric
Eero Saarinen for Knoll Mid Century Womb Chair with Ottoman
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Eero Saarinen for Knoll Mid Century Womb Chair with Ottoman The chair measures: 41 wide x 36 deep x 36 high, with a seat height of 17 inches and arm height/chair clearance of 21 inc...
Metal
Early Restored Mid Century Womb Lounge Chair by Saarinen for Knoll, Custom Avail
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Detroit, MI
Note: We have a collection of vintage Eero Saarinen Womb chairs and loveseat settees undergoing restoration and can offer the pieces in multiples and with custom upholstery options. ...
Steel, Chrome
Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in Australian Sheepskin
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
A favourite of the Forsyth design team! We have an incredible collection of vintage chairs and design icons waiting for a new life. Our upcycled womb chairs are some of our most popular designs. This womb chair and ottoman will be made to order with the finest Australian sheepskins...
Sheepskin
