Saarinen

Eero Saarinen (1910-1961) was the son of Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen and textile artist Loja Saarinen. He studied sculpture in Paris and architecture at Yale before returning to Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where he met Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia, and Florence Knoll. When Florence joined the Knoll company in the 1940s, she invited Saarinen to design for it.

The Pedestal Collection, introduced in 1957, replaced the conventional four-leg table base with a single cast aluminium pedestal. The single pedestal creates more usable leg room across the full width of the table, and allows unobstructed entry from any position along the table edge. The Tulip pedestal dining table is frequently specified alongside banquette seating for exactly this reason. The tulip base is available in round and oval dining sizes and in side table and coffee table dimensions, with laminate, wood veneer, and marble tops. The Tulip chair and Tulip stool share the same pedestal form.

The Womb Chair, released in 1948, uses a wide fibreglass shell designed to be used sideways or with legs up, available in three sizes with a matching footstool. The Saarinen Executive Chair uses a fibreglass shell on a swivel base with five-star, tubular, or wood leg options. Beyond furniture, Saarinen designed the TWA Terminal at JFK, Dulles International Airport, and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

The Saarinen Collection ships across Canada from GRShop with the full range of upholstery grades and top finishes. The marble-top oval dining table is on display at the Gabriel Ross showroom in Victoria. See also: Bertoia Collection, Platner Collection.