Designed by Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Womb Chair at Florence Knolls request for a chair that was like a basket full of pillowssomething I could really curl up in. The fiberglass design supported multiple sitting postures and provided a comforting sense of security hence the name.
Product story
After winning the Museum of Modern Art Organic Design Competition with Charles Eames for their experiments with bent plywood in 1941, Eero Saarinen was eager to continue exploring the possibilities of a chair that achieved comfort through the shape of its shell, not the depth of its cushioning. Initially, he began the investigation with designs for smaller fiberglass task chairs, but changed direction when Florence Knoll approached him and asked, Why not take the bull by the horns and do the big one first? I want a chair that is like a basket full of pillowssomething I can curl up in. While thats not exactly where Saarinen ended up, the suggestion inspired one of the most iconic, and comfortable, chairs of the modern furniture movement.
Like many of Saarinens furniture designs, the Womb Chair required production techniques and materials still in the infancy of their existence. Saarinen and Florence Knoll found a boat builder in New Jersey who was experimenting with fiberglass and resin to help develop manufacturing methods for the new chair. Florence Knoll: He was very skeptical. We just begged him. I guess we were so young and so enthusiastic he finally gave in and worked with us. We had lots of problems and failures until they finally got a chair that would work.
Eero Saarinen
Born to world famous architect and Cranbrook Academy of Art Director Eliel Saarinen and textile artist Loja Saarinen, Eero Saarinen was surrounded by design his whole life. After meeting Florence Knoll at Cranbrook, Saarinen went on to design many of Knoll's most recognizable pieces, including the Tulip collection, the Womb chair, and the 70 Series of seating. In addition to these achievements, Saarinen became a leader of the second-generation modernists.
Specifications:
- Available in wide range of KnollTextiles and Spinneybeckae leathers
- Seat shell is foam-covered molded fiberglass
- Steel legs are seamless tubular steel with polished chrome plating, polished 18k gold plating or black paint
Sustainable Design
Learn more about Womb Chair product certifications and materials at Ecomedes.
Last Updated 7 months
