Eero Saarinen: Furniture for Everyman

by Brian Lutz

One of the most celebrated, prolific, and unorthodox architects and designers of the twentieth century, Eero Saarinen has become a beacon of American modernism. While famous for his sculptural and bold architecture, such as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri and the TWA Terminal at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Eero Furniture for Everyman is the first monograph to focus exclusively on his furniture designs. A self-declared “form-giver,” his furniture, like his architecture, is characterized by its sleek and expressive forms.

Taken into production by the furniture company Knoll, which was co-owned by his friend Florence Knoll, Saarinen’s designs were trend-setting and revolutionary. As many of them continue to be produced today, such as the well-known and loved Womb chair and his Pedestal Collection, they are ubiquitous. Featuring rare and never-before-seen archival photographs that span Saarinen’s technical work to his personal life, a preface by Florence Knoll, and a piece by designer and Saarinen protégé Niels Diffrient, Eero Furniture for Everyman is the authoritative and comprehensive guide to the furniture designs and legacy of the modern master.

Genres: Design

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 16, 2012

Reviews

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fantastic and thorough account of Eero Saarinen's iconic furniture designs for Knoll, which complemented his signature architecture. The book is large in size and has wonderfully huge photographs and the necessary money shots of Saarinen's gorgeous and functional modern furniture. The volume has a great focus and doesn't overload with details or breathless praise. It's wonderfully appropriate for a man who helped popularize a modern approach to design and creativity.

Highly recommended to designers of all stripes and lovers of modern and mid-century design.