Knoll Saarinen tulip chair, when the chair becomes design. With just one leg!

Modernity and elegance even in the seat? There’s the Knoll Saarinen tulip chair

The Knoll Saarinen tulip chair, a point of innovation in the world of seating, brings elegance and modernity to the living area. This chair offers a combination of an armchair and a chair, both without armrests, with a single leg and a shape reminiscent of the tulip.

A unique touch

It was designed by Eero Saarinen, the well-known Finnish architect and designer naturalised in the USA, best known for his Tulip table, and is a mix of technology and art. It is a favourite with discerning customers who are aware of the unique touch that this particular type of chair gives not only to the room in which it is placed but to the entire home. Before his death in 1961, Saarinen created this innovative collection, through which he gave life to his idea of the unity of forms. Every product in the range has a sculptural quality, and this product is no exception. Stunning solutions mixed with more essential aspects make this piece of furniture almost as attractive as a sculpture.

A type of chair without “legs

When we think of chairs, almost all of us imagine them with the classic four “legs”. Eero Saarinen, however, was determined to do away with the very detail he considered to be the enemy of aesthetics. The Knoll Saarinen tulip chair, in fact, does not have legs in the traditional version we are used to but; instead, there is a pedestal, which gives a very linear image, a practical and functional aspect that goes well with rooms furnished with elements of high design or minimalist style. The decision to opt for a single leg was deliberately innovative: no one had ever designed it before, and Saarinen wanted to insert a new element that would amaze.

A design icon

The Knoll Saarinen Tulip Chair is often referred to as a design icon, with its famous “goblet shape”, i.e. a, single central stem. Its image, in fact, recalls that of a flower, specifically a tulip (hence the name). Made with innovative materials and representing, since its debut, a unique concept of modernity based on innovative canons for the times in which it was created, it was created with a very clear objective: to create a series of furnishing elements that are beautiful and suitable for different environments, combining quality and design, even in the chairs. What is a true and proper furnishing accessory can be placed in a separate area of the room, or it can be positioned, for example, around a table (the company has created many over time, often with the philosophy of the single leg).

Details of the Knoll Saarinen tulip chair collection

As mentioned above, the collection includes both an armchair and a chair, both without armrests. The base can be swivelled or fixed. The bottom with the circular pedestal is made of plastic, lacquered aluminium and a reinforced fibreglass shell. Both the chair and the armchair are available with a cushion only or fully upholstered. Buyers can choose from a wide range of colours and fabrics to suit their tastes and needs. The materials used for the Knoll Saarinen tulip chair collection are die-cast aluminium with Rilsan coating and a moulded fibreglass shell reinforced with a white plastic layer.

Cushions and upholstery: purist or colourful approach?

The chair and armchair in the collection can be with just the cushion or with full upholstery. The purist approach from which the Knoll Saarinen tulip chair collection was born can be enhanced precisely by opting for the first version with just a cushion. You can choose the colour of the pillow to match the colour of the chair frame, or you can opt for a contrasting shade of colour. There are different types of cushions, and one of the most valuable is the one made of hand-woven cotton.

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