Saarinen Tulip Armchair

Overview

The Tulip™ Armchair is a pedestal-based armchair that Knoll lists in its Pedestal Collection by Eero Saarinen. Wikipedia dates the Tulip chair to 1955–56 and says it was designed mainly to go with the matching dining table. The shop page offers it with a swivel or fixed seat and with a seat cushion or a fully upholstered shell.

Construction

• Molded fiberglass shell with a reinforced, plastic-bonded finish (Wikipedia)
• Cast aluminum base with a Rilsan-coated finish that matches the shell (Wikipedia)
• Seat cushion in foam, which Wikipedia says is removable with Velcro; or a fully upholstered version
• Seat that swivels, or a fixed seat
• Upholstery in Acqua Leather, Volo Leather, Ultrasuede or other Knoll fabrics

Specifications

• W 26" × D 23¼" × H 32" (660 × 591 × 813 mm); seat height 18", seat width 20½", seat depth 19", arm height 25⅜"
• Weight 31 lb

Pedestal Group, then Tulip

Wikipedia says the designs were first called the Pedestal Group before Saarinen and Knoll chose the more organic name Tulip, taken from the chair's inspiration in nature. It adds that Saarinen was awarded a patent for the Tulip chair in 1960.

Image source: Knoll — Saarinen Tulip Armchair · © Knoll and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy

A base that could not be fiberglass

Saarinen had hoped for a one-piece chair made entirely of fiberglass. Wikipedia reports that the material could not support the base and that prototypes broke, so the base became cast aluminum coated to match the shell, and the chair reads as a single unit.