Warren Platner for Knoll Steel and Carrara Marble Dining Table, 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Warren Platner (Designer),Knoll (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.6 in (72.65 cm)Diameter: 53.3 in (135.39 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:
Warren Platner
Though vintage Warren Platner chairs, sofas and interiors are icons of mid-century modernism, the architect and furniture designer 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Chicago, IL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Warren Platner for Knoll Side/End Table, 1960By Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILWarren Platner for Knoll side/end table in chrome and glass 1960. Original.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Warren Platner for Knoll Easy High Back Lounge Chair w/Ottoman, Model 1725By Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Chicago, ILEarly Production of the Warren Platner Easy Chair for Knoll High back Lounge Chair w/Ottoman, Model 1725. Newly reupholstered in gr...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet
- Warren Platner Bronze Base Coffee Table w/Smoked Glass, 1960By Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Chicago, ILWarren Platner Bronze Base Coffee Table w/Smoked Glass, 1960. Warren Platner's for Knoll iconic coffee table with bronze base and smoked beveled glass. Measures base 29.5" diameter 1...Category
Vintage 1960s American Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBronze
- Arabescato Marble and Stainless Steel Drum Dining Table, Italy, 1970By Stone InternationalLocated in Chicago, ILArabescato marble and stainless steel drum dining table, Italy, 1970.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble
- French Red and White Marble Center Dining Table, 1960Located in Chicago, ILFrench Red and White Marble Center Dining Table, 1960. Cruciform Marble base and brass signature plate as shown in picture. Measures 52" diameter, 30" tall. Base legs 3" wide, 2" dee...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Brueton Stainless Steel and Verde Green Marble "Anello" Dining Table, 1970By BruetonLocated in Chicago, ILBrueton Stainless Steel and Verde Green Marble "Anello" Table, 1970. Table measures 36" diameter and 30.5" tall.Category
Vintage 1970s American Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble, Stainless Steel
- Warren Platner Steel and Glass Dining Table for KnollBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Brooklyn, NYBeautiful Mid-Century Modern glass top on Steel base dining table by Warren Platner for Knoll, circa 1980s. Features a 53” thick glass top and base made of curved rods. This modern d...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Marble Dining Table by Warren Platner for KnollBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Barcelona, ESMarble dining table designed by Warren Platner for Knoll, USA, 1966. Calacatta marble top and polished nickel steel base.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble, Steel
- 1960s Warren Platner Knoll Marble Dining Table Metallic BronzeBy Warren PlatnerLocated in Chula Vista, CA1960s KNOLL designer Warren Platner graceful & iconic Dining Table in Metallic Bronze Includes new marble tabletop. Base has a dark bronze finish. Unmarked. The label was not present...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble, Metal
- Warren Platner for Knoll Dining Table in Smoked GlassBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Waalwijk, NLWarren Platner for Knoll, table, glass, steel, United States, design ca. 1962 This iconic center table by Warren Platner (1919-2006) is created by welding curved steel rods to cir...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Warren Platner Carrara Marble & Steel Coffee Table for KnollBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Warren platner Carrara marble & steel coffee table for Knoll. ________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Cen...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMarble, Chrome, Steel
- Round Dining Table by Warren Platner for Knoll International, USA, 1960sBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Jersey City, NJRound Warren Platner dining height table has a bullnose edge in ebonized oak encompassing the white marble top, both supported on the three-legged chromed metal base. Overall, a very...Category
Vintage 1960s Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble, Steel