Knoll Saarinen Executive Chair
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Birch, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Mohair, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Maple
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Walnut
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s American Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood, Wool
Early 2000s Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Wood
Early 2000s Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome, Steel
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Sheepskin
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Gold Plate, Steel
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel
1990s American Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Steel
1990s American Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Bentwood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Steel
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk C...
Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Gold Plate, Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Gold Plate, Steel
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Beech
Vintage 1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk C...
Nickel
Vintage 1980s North American Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Nickel
Vintage 1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk C...
Steel
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Steel, Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Gold Plate, Steel
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wool, Oak
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Sheepskin
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Sheepskin
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Steel
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Cowhide
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Upholstery
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Knoll Saarinen Executive Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Knoll Saarinen Executive Chair?
Eero Saarinen for sale on 1stDibs
Through his work as an architect and designer, Eero Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best-known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York (opened 1962), Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1962) and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (1965).
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
At Cranbrook, Saarinen also met Florence Schust Knoll, who, as director of her husband Hans Knoll's eponymous furniture company, would put Saarinen’s best designs into production. These include the Grasshopper chair, designed in 1946 and so named because its angled bentwood frame resembles the insect; the Tulip chair (1957), a flower-shaped fiberglass shell mounted on a cast-aluminum pedestal; and the lushly contoured Womb lounge chair and ottoman (1948). In his furniture as in his architecture, the keynotes of Eero Saarinen’s designs are simplicity, strength and grace.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen tables, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Seating for You
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.