3 Warren Platner for Knoll 18-Karat Gold-Plated Easy Chairs
View Similar Items
3 Warren Platner for Knoll 18-Karat Gold-Plated Easy Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Warren Platner (Designer)
- Design:Platner Easy ChairPlatner Series
- Dimensions:Height: 39 in (99.06 cm)Width: 39 in (99.06 cm)Depth: 39.5 in (100.33 cm)Seat Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:21th Century
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. In very good condition with some minor marks and imperfections.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU835015074661
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.
- Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin Leather T ChairsBy Thayer Coggin, Milo BaughmanLocated in Palm Springs, CAA lovely pair of black leather and steel T chairs deisgned by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin. The design originates in the 1970's although these were produced sometime in the 2010's...Category
2010s American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$8,250 / set - 1960's Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and OttomanBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Palm Springs, CAA lovely example of the Iconic Womb Chair and Ottoman designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. We have had it re-upholstered in a genuine Knoll fabric, Crossroads in a Honey Bee color. T...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 1970s Chromed Steel Leather ChairsLocated in Palm Springs, CAA beautifully re-upholstered chromed steel armchairs. They have been redone in a wonderful distressed heavy leather. Not sure as to the manufacturer but they clearly look to be influ...Category
Vintage 1970s Unknown Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Hand Welded Unusual Steel ChairLocated in Palm Springs, CAAn unusual handmade and welded steel chair in new upholstery. This chair was thought to have been sold at auction as part of the Mama Cass estate.Category
Vintage 1970s American Club Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Red Florence Knoll Lounge ChairsBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Palm Springs, CAA pair of vintage Florence Knoll lounge chairs on steel bases. We have these totally refurbished and re-upholstered in red Maharam Messenger fabric. The bases have been polished, and...Category
20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$4,550 Sale Price / set30% Off - Toyo Ito For Driade "Suki" ChairBy Toyo Ito, DriadeLocated in Palm Springs, CAA sculptural beauty this chair, designed by the architect Toyo Ito, for Driade in 1987 is made of stain finished steel. In good condition with some age wear a...Category
20th Century Italian Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Warren Platner Pair of Easy Chairs in Baby Blue UpholsteryBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Waalwijk, NLWarren Platner for Knoll, pair of lounge chairs, 'model 1705', nickel-plated steel, fabric, United States, design 1966 This iconic easy chair by Warren Platner is created by welding...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Nickel
- Warren Platner Easy Lounge Chair for Knoll, 1980sBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Aachen, NWEarly Easy Lounge chair by Warren Platner for Knoll. The groundbreaking Easy chair was designed in the 1960s by Warren Platner and produced by Knoll in the early 1980s. This mid-ce...Category
Mid-20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Warren Platner for Knoll Easy Chair in White ChenilleBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Waalwijk, NLWarren Platner for Knoll, easy chair, model '1705', steel, reupholstered in chenille "Per Inciso" Perla by Dedar, United States, design ca. 1962, production later. This iconic white...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Warren Platner for Knoll Easy Chairs in Blue MohairBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Dallas, TXWarren Platner's iconic Easy chair for Knoll. We have reupholstered this in a high-quality mohair.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsNickel
- Warren Platner for Knoll Mid Century Easy Lounge Chair and OttomanBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Countryside, ILWarren Platner for Knoll Mid Century Easy Lounge Chair and Ottoman The chair measures: 41 wide x 35 deep x 39 high, with a seat height of 16 inches and arm height/chair clearance of...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Pair of Warren Platner for Knoll Easy Chairs in Blue MohairBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Dallas, TXWarren Platner's iconic Easy chair for Knoll. We have reupholstered this in a high-quality mohair.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsNickel