Set of Four Iconic Warren Platner for Knoll Dining Chairs
View Similar Items
Set of Four Iconic Warren Platner for Knoll Dining Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Warren Platner (Designer),Knoll (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)Depth: 20.75 in (52.71 cm)Seat Height: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1966
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU106065346023
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.
- Modern Bronze Sculptural Walnut Dining Table with Bronze Leg Signed Oskar KogojBy Oskar KogojLocated in Houston, TXStunning modern bronze sculptural dining table in walnut. It is made by Oskar Kogoj, and the table has aesthetic sculptural detailing on one end. The table leg is made of bronze and ...Category
Vintage 1970s Slovenian Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBronze
- "Tail Feathers" Pink and Black Floral Accent ChairLocated in Houston, TXJoy, laughter, and the unexpected are at the heart of Annie Evelyn’s work. Employing a range of materials and processes (tessellating metal pieces to create soft upholstered seating or embedding fresh cut flowers to add aroma), Evelyn uses furniture...Category
2010s American Side Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
$1,537 Sale Price25% Off - Custom Green Dyed French Armchair with Tropical Palm Tree UpholsteryBy Baker Furniture CompanyLocated in Houston, TXBeautiful Louis the XV style green dyed French armchair with custom pink tropical upholstery featuring a floral palm tree design.Category
20th Century French Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood, Fabric
$1,350 Sale Price25% Off - Stunning Custom Contemporary Modern Sideboard with Gustav Klimt Style PaintingBy Gustav Klimt, Reeves Design + ArtLocated in Houston, TXStunning custom contemporary modern sideboard with Gustav Klimt Style Painting. This handmade sideboard was custom made in Houston, Texas in collaboration ...Category
2010s American Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBirch
$5,437 Sale Price20% Off - Stunning Custom Contemporary Modern Sideboard with Frank Trocino PaintingBy Reeves Design + ArtLocated in Houston, TXStunning custom contemporary modern sideboard with light green toned abstract figurative painting. This handmade sideboard was custom mad...Category
2010s American Post-Modern Sideboards
MaterialsOak
$5,625 Sale Price25% Off - Stunning Custom Scandinavian Modern Small Chest by Norm StoekerBy Norm StoekerLocated in Houston, TXStunning custom Scandinavian modern small chest by norm stoeker. The three exposed Egyptian blue drawers are made with master craftsmanship surrounded by ...Category
2010s American Night Stands
MaterialsMaple
$1,650 Sale Price25% Off
- Warren Platner for Knoll Mid Century Dining Chairs - Set of 4By Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Countryside, ILWarren Platner for Knoll Mid Century Dining Chairs - Set of 4 Each chair measures: 28.25 wide x 22 deep x 29.5 high, with a seat height of 19 and arm height/chair clearance 25 inche...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Vintage Warren Platner Arm Chairs, Set of Six for KnollBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Lambertville, NJA stunning example of the 1966 Warren Platner arm chair for Knoll, these chairs are timeless and integrate beautifully with many style tables. They f...Category
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Set of Six Dining Chairs Designed by Warren Platner for Knoll, 20th CenturyBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Hamburg, PAAn exquisite set of six dining chairs designed by Warren Platner for Knoll. These iconic dining room chairs would look great in any Contemporary, Transitional, or Traditional interio...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Warren Platner Dining Chairs Set of 4By Warren PlatnerLocated in London, GBAmerican architect and interior designer Warren Platner was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1919. Platner attended Cornell University, graduating with a degree in architecture in 1941...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$10,199 / set - Set of 6 Warren Platners Chairs in cream/beige fabric by Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in amstelveen, NLWarren Platner chairs, set of 6, Knoll International In 1966, the Platner Collection captured the “decorative, gentle, graceful' shapes that were beginning to infiltrate the modern ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWool
- Warren Platner for Knoll Arm Chairs/ PairBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAWarren Platner for Knoll Pair of Armchairs. In like new condition! Chairs are not even 2 years old! Beautiful chairs in great condition! 1966 Design that still looks current! Ni...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsNickel
$5,500 / set