Designer
Warren Platner
Warren Platner (1919–2006) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated in architecture from Cornell University in 1941. He worked with Raymond Loewy, Eero Saarinen and I. M. Pei before opening his own architecture and interior practice.
Biografie
Background
Warren Platner (1919–2006) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated in architecture from Cornell University in 1941. He worked with Raymond Loewy, Eero Saarinen and I. M. Pei before opening his own architecture and interior practice.
Signature Style
Platner sought a furniture that was neither aggressively technological nor aggressively handicraft: the decorative, gentle, graceful quality of period styles such as Louis XV, but on a rational structure rather than applied decoration – support and object made 'all one thing'.
Notable Works
- Platner Collection for Knoll (1966): Lounge Chair, Easy Chair, Arm Chair, Ottoman, Stool and Dining, Coffee and Side Tables
- An executive private-office collection for Knoll
- Interiors of the Georg Jensen Design Center and Windows on the World (World Trade Center, 1976), New York
Legacy
Platner personally developed the production technique for his wire furniture – each chair needs over a thousand welds and more than a hundred steel rods. The collection earned him worldwide renown and, as Knoll notes, remains an icon of modern furniture; an 18K gold finish marked its 50th anniversary.
