Lounge Chairs Designed by Warren Platner 1966 for Knoll International
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Warren Platner (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.25 in (76.84 cm)Width: 36.5 in (92.71 cm)Depth: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Seat Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- 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. Recent upholstery with new foam.
- Seller Location:Dallas, TX
- 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: Dallas, TX
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Platner Collection 1966 Rare Early Production Settee in Bronze by WarrenBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Dallas, TXRare, early production settee designed by Warren Platner from The Platner Collection in bronze, 1966 for Knoll International. Settee is in excellent condition with new foam and with ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsBronze
- Krefeld Lounge Chairs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for KnollBy Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Dallas, TXFrom the Krefeld Lounge Collection, a pair of Krefeld Loung Chairs designed by Mies van der Rohe. The Krefeld Collection was designed in 1927 while planning the Esters and Lange resi...Category
1990s American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Ladislav Rado Cantilevered Lounge Chairs for Knoll and Drake, 1950sBy Knoll & Drake, Ladislav RadoLocated in Dallas, TXRare pair of lounge chairs designed by Czechoslovakian Architect Ladislav Rado for Knoll and Drake in 1950. Model R-83. The frames have been re-lacq...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
- P40 Lounge Chair by Osvaldo Borsani Chair for TecnoBy Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Dallas, TXEarly production P40 lounge chair designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy, 1950s. The lounge, with an extendable footrest, is designed to recline and can be set in several posit...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Karuselli Tilt & Swivel Lounge Chair by Yrjo Kukkapuro for Haimi Finland 1960sBy Haimi, Yrjö KukkapuroLocated in Dallas, TXKaruselli tilt and swivel lounge chair by Yrjo Kukkapuro for Haimi of Finland in original terracotta leather with a chocolate brown fiberglass frame. This model 418 easy chair is con...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fiberglass
- Four Drawer Chest by Florence Knoll for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll & Drake, Florence KnollLocated in Dallas, TXPair of four drawer chests designed by Florence Knoll, 1948 for Knoll International.Category
Mid-20th Century North American Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMaple
- Gray Velvet Lounge Chair by Warren Platner for Knoll InternationalBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Renens, CHOriginally designed by Warren Platner in 1966 for Knoll International, this design icon consists of steel rods curved and welded to a circular frame. The lounge chair is relativel...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Warren Platner Lounge Chairs for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Little Burstead, EssexThis pair of Platner chairs are in great condition, the chrome rods are not at all rusty or bent and the upholstery has just been done in a Salm...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- 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
- Set of 2 Lounge Chairs by Warren Platner for Knoll in Original Fabric, c. 1966By Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Deland, FLFirst offered by Knoll in 1966, the Platner Collection wire lounge chairs were built for comfort and with the greatest attention to form. Constructed from sculpted wire and often ref...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Warren Platner Lounge Chairs for KnollBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Paris, FRPair of Warren Platner lounge chairs for Knoll.Category
Vintage 1960s American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 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