Knoll - Saarinen Tulip Chair

A Design Classic - The Tulip Chair

Eero Saarinen designed the first version of the Tulip Chair in 1953 and created therewith the base of a revolutionary design classic among seating furniture – there has never been a chair before that connected foot and seat to one closed form. In cooperation with the manufacturer Knoll, the Tulip Chair has been further developed. 1956 the chair finally came to the market with its characteristic shape that it still wears.

The purist designed Tulip Chair reminds us of a tulip as its name says, combined with classic Scandinavian design. The background of the design of the Tulip Chair is described by Eero Saarinen: “I wanted to order the confusing feet mixture. I wanted to make a unity out of a chair again.” This made the four-feet chair as one knows it, a one-feet chair.

The seat of the Tulip Chair is made out of plastic and reinforced with fiberglass. It sits on a trumpet-shaped base which is made out of weightless metal and has a Rilsan-surface coating.

Moreover the chair is available in different editions: initially there is the choice between a chair with armrests and one without them. The Tulip Chair can be ordered in a swivel version or standing, furthermore one can choose an upholstered seat or a separate cushion for it. The coatings are available with numerous different fabrics and colours. Also the chair itself is produced in black and white.

Of course we would be glad to suggest you about colours, forms and fabrics for your individual Tulip Chair!

More details:

- Characteristics: The Tulip Seating furniture collection by Saarinen includes an armrest chair, a chair without armrests, with swivel base or fixed foot and a stool. The chairs are available whether with an upholstered cushion or wholly upholstered seats with seat cushion. The swivel chair with upholstered seating cushion fulfills the collection. The KnollStudio logo and the signature from Eero Saarinen are printed on the lower part of the foot.

- Construction: Pillar foot out of cast aluminium with Rilsan coating on all black and white models. The platin coloured pillar feet have a polyurethane coating with transparent finish. The bowl is made out of fiberglass reinforced plastic.

- Surface: Bowl and frame are black, white or platinum coloured. Wholly upholstered seats with seat cushion with different fabrics available. For chairs with seating cushions there are many different fabrics and Spinneybeck leathers available to be chosen.

- Awards: Award of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1969 / Federal Republic Prize for product design / “Gute Form”, Germany, 1969 / Award for design career of Design Centers Stuttgart, Germany, 1962.