Early Black Leather Eero Saarinen ''Womb Chair'' for Knoll
View Similar Items
Early Black Leather Eero Saarinen ''Womb Chair'' for Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Eero Saarinen (Designer)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1955
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. New Leather / Expected patina to original finnish on the steel frame.
- Seller Location:Costa Mesa, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU92201106068
Eero Saarinen
Through his work as an architect and designer, Eero Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best-known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York (opened 1962), Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1962) and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (1965).
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
At Cranbrook, Saarinen also met Florence Schust Knoll, who, as director of her husband Hans Knoll's eponymous furniture company, would put Saarinen’s best designs into production. These include the Grasshopper chair, designed in 1946 and so named because its angled bentwood frame resembles the insect; the Tulip chair (1957), a flower-shaped fiberglass shell mounted on a cast-aluminum pedestal; and the lushly contoured Womb lounge chair and ottoman (1948). In his furniture as in his architecture, the keynotes of Eero Saarinen’s designs are simplicity, strength and grace.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen tables, chairs and other 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.
- Lou Hodges Oak & Leather Lounge Chairs for California Design Group, 1970'sBy Lou HodgesLocated in Costa Mesa, CALou Hodges Oak & Green Leather Lounge Chairs for California Design Group, 1970's. This pair has been expertly restored.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Edward Wormley 5499 Lounge Chairs for Dunbar, United States, c.1960By Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Costa Mesa, CAEdward Wormley 5499 Lounge Chairs for Dunbar, United States, c.1960. This pair has been expertly restored in New Old Stock Orinoka Mills Fabric originally specified by Dunbar. Each...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Hans Wegner AP-19 Papa Bear Chair in for A.P. Stolen, Denmark, circa 1952By Hans J. Wegner, A.P. StolenLocated in Costa Mesa, CAHans Wegner AP-19 papa bear chair for A.P. Stolen, Denmark, circa 1952. This piece has been expertly restored in Kravet Couture tan & gray wool upholstery. A.P. Stolen Makers stamp t...Category
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wool, Teak
- Early Finn Juhl Bench for Bovirke, Denmark, circa 1953By Bovirke, Finn JuhlLocated in Costa Mesa, CAEarly Finn Juhl Bench for Bovirke, Denmark, circa 1953. New Expertly Upholstered Cushion in Kravet Couture Green Wool Fabric. Makers Mark to the Bott...Category
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- John Van Koert Walnut Leather Top Desk for Drexel, c.1965By John Van Koert, DrexelLocated in Costa Mesa, CAJohn Van Koert Walnut Leather Top Desk for Drexel, c.1965. This piece has been professionally restored.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Superstudio Early Gherpe Table Lamp, Francesconi, Italy, c.1967By SuperstudioLocated in Costa Mesa, CASuperstudio Early Gherpe Table Lamp, Francesconi, Italy, c.1967. Superstudio Designers: Gian Piero Frassinelli, Alessandro Magris, Roberto Magris...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Eero Saarinen for Knoll 'Womb' Chair with Ottoman in Blue UpholsteryBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Waalwijk, NLEero Saarinen for Knoll, 'Womb' chair with ottoman, fabric, metal, United States, 1946/48 This shelled, cushioned lounge chair is designed between 1946 and 1948 by Eero Saarinen. Th...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Set of Two beige Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman for Knoll, USA, 1960sBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Berlin, DESet of two Early Eero Saarinen womb chairs and ottoman for Knoll, USA - 1960s. Newly upholstered in a Knoll fabric. The measurements giv...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Forsyth Bespoke Eero Saarinen Womb Chair and Ottoman in ShearlingBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in SAINT LOUIS, MOLead Time: Please allow 10 to 12 weeks to restore a vintage Womb Chair and Ottoman in Shearling. "Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Wom...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSheepskin
- Eero Saarinen for Knoll Boucle Womb Chair, 2019By Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Costa Mesa, CAEero Saarinen for Knoll Boucle Womb Chair, 2019. Covered in custom Flax Boucle from Knoll. The expressive sculptural forms of the Eero Saarinen Wom...Category
21st Century and Contemporary North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge C...
MaterialsBouclé
- Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and OttomanBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Philadelphia, PAEero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair and ottoman. Probably one of the most comfortable chairs ever created! This chair and ottoman d...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$6,800 / set - Early Wool Womb Chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, 1960sBy Knoll, Eero SaarinenLocated in Aachen, NWEarly 2-tone wool Womb chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. The groundbreaking Womb chair was designed in 1948 by Eero Saarinen at Florence Knoll's request for "a chair that was lik...Category
Mid-20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
$7,120 Sale Price20% Off