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Designer
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen (1910–1961) was born in Finland to the architect Eliel Saarinen and textile artist Loja Saarinen; the family emigrated to the United States in 1923, and he grew up at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where his father was…
Biography
Background
Eero Saarinen (1910–1961) was born in Finland to the architect Eliel Saarinen and textile artist Loja Saarinen; the family emigrated to the United States in 1923, and he grew up at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where his father was director. He studied sculpture in Paris (1929) and architecture at Yale (graduating 1934), then returned to Cranbrook to teach, design furniture and practise architecture with his father.
Signature Style
Known for being obsessed with revision, Saarinen took a sculptural approach, building hundreds of models and full-scale mock-ups to find the perfect curve and proportion. His furniture used modern materials in graceful, organic shapes, and as a leader of the second-generation modernists he expanded the modern vocabulary with curvilinear forms.
Notable Works
- Moulded plywood chairs with Charles Eames – first prize, MoMA 'Organic Design in Home Furnishings' (1940)
- Womb Chair (1948), 70 Series seating, Tulip / Pedestal Collection (1956–58) for Knoll
- Gateway Arch (St. Louis), TWA Flight Center (JFK), Dulles Airport terminal, CBS headquarters
Legacy
A lifelong, sibling-like friend of Florence Knoll from Cranbrook, he designed many of Knoll's most recognisable pieces in its formative years. He died in 1961; he was awarded the AIA Gold Medal posthumously (1962).
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Collections
Products
Saarinen Tulip Armchair
Eero Saarinen's 1955-56 pedestal armchair, with a swivel or fixed seat
Womb Chair
Saarinen's 1948 Womb Chair, made for Florence Knoll to curl up in
Saarinen Dining Table, Round 137 cm
Saarinen's 1957 one-legged pedestal table, round 54 in (137 cm) with a stone top
Saarinen Outdoor Dining Tables
Eero Saarinen's 1957 pedestal dining table in weatherproof Vetro Bianco quartz
Saarinen Coffee Tables
Eero Saarinen's 1957 pedestal coffee tables in round and oval, with a choice of tops and bases
Saarinen Dining Table - Oval
Saarinen's 1957 pedestal dining table in oval form, 72 to 96 in wide
Saarinen Executive Armchair – Wood Legs
Eero Saarinen's 1950 executive armchair with an open back, here on steam-bent oak legs
Saarinen Executive Stool
Eero Saarinen's Executive chair as a bar or counter stool on solid wood legs
Saarinen Side Tables
Eero Saarinen's 1957 pedestal side tables in round and oval, up to 20 inches high
Saarinen Table - Lounge Height
Eero Saarinen's 1957 pedestal table at a lower 26 inch lounge height
Tulip Chair (Armless)
Eero Saarinen's 1957 armless Tulip chair on a single cast-aluminum pedestal, fixed or swivel
Tulip Stool
Eero Saarinen's 1957 swivel stool on the Tulip pedestal base, 18 inches high
