Eero Saarinen
Womb Chair Stool
When Florence Knoll challenged Finnish-born architect and designer Eero Saarinen in 1948 to create a chair that she could curl up in, she had found an apt candidate for the task. The Womb Chair's enveloping, lap-like form continues to be one of the most iconic and recognized representations of mid-century Scandinavian organic modernism. In fact, ask most designers and architects what lounge chair design they covet and they'll promptly tell you it's the Womb Chair. By applying foam molded over a fiberglass shell, Saarinen was able to create a single-piece form that perfectly facilitated a relaxed sitting posture and a sublime feeling of security. Additional seat and back cushions and the separate, coordinating Womb Ottoman provide a further degree of lavish comfort. The slender steel rod base is chrome-plated using a multiple step process that results in a flawlessly polished mirror finish.
1910 - 1962
Although Saarinen made his reputation in the United States following World War II, he had his roots in Europe. Until 1923, he lived in Finland with his father Eliel Saarinen an architect of the National Romantic movement, who went on to teach architecture at the University of Michigan. For Eero architecture was a discipline like the fine arts, and in particular, sculpture. He called himself a "form giver" and everything he designed had a strong sculptural quality.
