Warren Platner for Knoll Lounge Chair with Zebra Hide Cushion
View Similar Items
Warren Platner for Knoll Lounge Chair with Zebra Hide Cushion
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Warren Platner (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 37 in (93.98 cm)Depth: 27 in (68.58 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1966
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:SAINT LOUIS, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU170123591562
Warren Platner
Though his vintage furniture and interiors are icons of mid-century modernism, architect and furniture designer Warren Platner 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.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Warren Platner Lounge Chairs, Restored in Loro Piana Leather and Linen, PairBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOIcons. Released by Knoll, Platner’s lounge chair lends mid-century cool to any room. The famous lounge chair is created by welding curved steel rods to circular and semi-circular fra...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Warren Platner Easy Lounge Chair and Ottoman in Dedar Mohair VelvetBy Warren PlatnerLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOAn icon! Released by Knoll, Platner’s large Easy Chair lends mid-century cool to any room. The iconic lounge chair is created by welding curved steel rods to circular and semi-circul...Category
2010s American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Pair of Yngve Ekstrom Circle Chairs Reupholstered in Zebra HideBy Yngve EkströmLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOWith colleagues like Aalto, Mathsson, Jacobsen and Kjaerholm, Yngve Ekström was part of the post-war modern movement that made the concept “Scandinavian Modern” world-famous. This is a very nice pair of white lacquered circle chairs designed by Ekstrom for Swedese, circa 1960. Fully restored and reupholstered in zebra hide, the timeless design would fit any modern design interior. Measure: 26in W x 24in D x 28in H x 17in SH. The Art of One of A Kind Furniture - Forsyth travels the world in search of breathtaking designs from auction houses, antique shops, and private collections. An amazing transformation begins when a collected piece arrives at the Forsyth studio. Old world furniture...Category
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Modern Chairs
MaterialsZebra Hide
- Vintage Nanna and Jorgen Ditzel Ring Lounge Chairs in Zebra HideBy Nanna and Jørgen DitzelLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOA very cool pair of sculptural Danish chairs. Restored in zebra hide. Manufacturer Søren Willadsen, Denmark Date 1958 Dimensions 32 W x 28 D x 25.5 H in Material Teak, upholster...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Upholstery, Teak
- Zebra Hide Squab PillowLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOOur zebra hide squab pillows are handcrafted from our beautiful Forsyth zebra hides. The most beautiful zebra hides are selected, handcut, handstitched, and hand stuffed with the fin...Category
2010s American Pillows and Throws
MaterialsZebra Hide
$550 / item - Forsyth Zebra Hide Bolster PillowLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOForsyth zebra hide pillows are simply the best. The most beautiful hides are selected, hand cut, hand-stitched, and hand stuffed with the finest goose do...Category
2010s American Pillows and Throws
MaterialsZebra Hide
$495 / item
- Warren Platner for Knoll Lounge ChairBy KnollLocated in New York, NYSculptural and graceful iconic lounge chair model 1705 by Warren Platner designed in 1962 for Knoll International. Upholstered in luxurious rust ...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Warren Platner for Knoll Nickel Lounge Chair Reupholstered in Your FabricBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Atlanta, GASculptural modern lounge chair in nickel finish, designed by Warren Platner for Knoll, circa 1980s. Signed with Knoll label. This chair is currently being reupholstered and can be co...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Warren Platner for Knoll Wire StoolBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYIndustrial and organic steel wire stool by Warren Platner from the Platner Collection for Knoll, after 1966. Newly upholstered in a creamy, textural wool. In excellent condition. Cur...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Modern Pair of Knoll Warren Platner ChairsBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Brooklyn, NYA set of beautiful mid-century modern wired steel chairs. The frame features wire rods that are perfectly bent to create the structure of a beautifully sculpted chair. A seat cushion...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Warren Platner for Knoll classic armchair designed 1966By Warren Platner, KnollLocated in London, GBWarren Platner studied at Cornell University, graduating in 1941 with a degree in architecture. He went on to work with legendary architects Raymond Loewy, Eero Saarinen, and I. M. P...Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Pair of Warren Platner Lounge Chairs for KnollBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Paris, FRPair of Warren Platner lounge chairs for Knoll.Category
Vintage 1960s American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$13,400 / set