Modern Icons: The Saarinen Tulip Dining Table
18 Dining Combinations Featuring the Sleek Pedestal Base
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Architect, furniture designer, friend of Florence Knoll and son of Eliel, Eero Saarinen was anything but a leg man. He designed his iconic Tulip table in 1956 in order to "clear up the slum of legs in the U.S. home." I suppose a typical table and chair set for four in a U.S. eat-in kitchen would have had about 20 legs, whereas if you splurged for the entire Saarinen Tulip set you'd have only had five legs total. Designers today, on the other hand, choose to pair the table with a wide range of chairs — many with four very attractive legs. Let's take a look.
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| Here is an example of a designer who is not so into chair legs; not only did this person opt for the entire Saarinen dining set, but also for pedestal barstools. They also went for a PH 5 pendant, which we just chatted about recently. |
| Saarinen tables are produced by Knoll today. (Florence Knoll and Eero were thick as thieves back in the day.) They come with many top options and color options, including marble, granite, laminate and wood veneer. There are a range of sizes for the dining table and there is even an oval version.
By the way, I've been trying to identify these chairs all day — if you know who makes them, I beg you to educate me in the comments section! |
Cherner armchairs are a great match for this white marble oval version of the table. These choices work wonderfully for this white room with wood floors.
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I am 99 percent sure that these are Nakashima chairs, and I absolutely love the unexpected combination of these with the Tulip table.
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| I shouldn't play favorites, but this is one kitchen on Houzz I come back to over and over again. It's modern yet warm, rather neutral but enlivened by the yellow FL/Y pendant and the red chairs. The white Tulip table is a great centerpiece for the room's burst of color. |
by Amy Lau Design
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Here the designer made me do a double take; she's cleverly tucked one Tulip armchair into the mix. I admired this shot quite a few times before I noticed.
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| This is another Saarinen and Saarinen match-up. He designed the elegant upholstered Executive chair before designing the Tulip table. (I mean, look at all those legs!) As soon as I round up enough images of this chair, I'll feature it in a future Modern Icons ideabook. |
by Fiorella Design
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Speaking of topics for future Modern Icon ideabooks, here a white version of the table looks smashing with a set of aqua Eames Shell chairs.
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Here's another Eames Shell with Eiffel bases paired with an oval Saarinen table. I don't think that Eero could have complained about the interesting structure of these legs.
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by Aviad Bar-Ness
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| Here the designer has opted for Eames Shell chairs with wooden legs. They stand out next to all of the white in this eat-in kitchen. |
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by Fiorella Design
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| You don't need to spend a fortune on iconic chairs — these IKEA chairs hold their own next to the classic table. That's the beauty of its versatility (not to mention the strong design of the chairs). |
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Not convinced? Here it shines in a vintage modern setting, with farmhouse-style chairs sidling up to it.
by SBaird Design
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This group gives a strong salute to Mid-Century Modern, particularly Danish Modern styles.
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| Here the dining area goes for an all-white palette, gaining color only from tabletop accessories. The Tulip's partners include an FL/Y pendant and four Panton chairs. |
| This photograph has opened my eyes to the color palette of white, lavender, and a warm and tawny brown. It's a beautiful combination, isn't it? |
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Again, I'm not sure which chairs these are exactly, but I love that they are upholstered yet still sleek. The light fixture is called the Birdie chandelier and is by far the most whimsical choice in the room, balanced out nicely by the Saarinen table.
Side Note: Aren't those windows and doors to die for? Details like these that we often don't think about can make such a difference in the architecture. Oh, and speaking of details, I'm loving the way they styled with artichokes here – it adds really nice shapes and colors.
Side Note: Aren't those windows and doors to die for? Details like these that we often don't think about can make such a difference in the architecture. Oh, and speaking of details, I'm loving the way they styled with artichokes here – it adds really nice shapes and colors.
More Panton S chairs abound. By the way, if anyone has any information on this pendant light, please educate me in the comments section. I'd love to know more about it.
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Finally, I thought I'd bring the book full circle; this image is from the same room as the image at the top of this ideabook; I couldn't see in that image that the designer chose the veneer-topped tulip table. I love the warmth it adds to this wide-open and airy space.
By the way, we've been working REALLY hard to keep up with keywording and tagging photos, so for example, now when you search "Saarinen" or "Tulip" and choose "Photos" in the top right corner, quite a few images come up. If you haven't tried it in a while, please give our improved search function a whirl.
More Modern Icons:
The Womb Chair
Platner Tables
The Togo Series
By the way, we've been working REALLY hard to keep up with keywording and tagging photos, so for example, now when you search "Saarinen" or "Tulip" and choose "Photos" in the top right corner, quite a few images come up. If you haven't tried it in a while, please give our improved search function a whirl.
More Modern Icons:
The Womb Chair
Platner Tables
The Togo Series
Ideabook updated on April 12, 2011.
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Either great, modern or Aries minds think alike?! I posted in the Questions section...maybe someone will know who makes them.
Emilia Dining Table from Chiasso
I'm trying to decide which would be better - to do something similar with straight lines for the adult chairs, or to play off the table with curvy chairs. If it's the latter, I like the idea of the Cherner chairs. I also think some Danish chairs like the image from SBaired could work. A zig zag chair could be interesting but probably would not be very practical!
Honestly, I think you have the freedom with this table to do some extreme mixing and matching, and insert any icons you like. I like the idea of three Stokke chairs, one Wiggle Chair, and one Panton S chair, or some such wacky combination. I didn't use this image because I'd used it in a prior tulip table ideabook a few years ago, but check out this mix and matching with a tulip table:
Honestly, I'm not sure you can go wrong. I think 2-3 light blue Eames shell chairs with the Stokkes could be fabulous. Have fun with it!!!
I have a question for you though. When it comes to a saarinen table, which is your favorite style without breaking the bank account?
I want to purchase one but I don't want to spend to much.
Hope you can help.
Thanks and take care.
Nancy