Knoll International • Saarinen Relax • Womb stool
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Knoll International • Saarinen Womb stool
After winning the Museum of Modern Art's Organic Design competition in 1941 together with Charles Eames with their experiments in bent plywood, Eero Saarinen was keen to explore further the possibilities of a chair that achieved comfort through the form of its shell rather than the depth of its upholstery. He began his investigations with designs for smaller fibreglass office 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 pillows... something I can curl up in." Although Saarinen did not land exactly there, the suggestion inspired one of the most iconic and comfortable chairs of the modern furniture movement. Like many of Saarinen's furniture designs, the Womb Chair required production methods and materials that were still in their infancy. Saarinen and Florence Knoll found a boat builder in New Jersey who was experimenting with fibreglass and resin to help develop manufacturing methods for the new chair. Florence Knoll: "He was very sceptical. We simply pleaded with him. I think we were so young and so enthusiastic that he finally gave in and worked with us. We had many problems and failures until they finally had a chair that worked."
- Frame: tubular steel, high-gloss chrome-plated or black lacquered.
- Womb stool: upholstered with foam over a moulded plywood base.
- Cushion: polyurethane core
- Polyester fibre filling
- Glides: stainless steel with movable nylon glides. Note: the "Knoll" logo is embossed into the frame of the chair and the stool.
Further fabrics are available on request.
Dimensions: width 64cm x depth 51.5cm x height 40cm
Please note that the images shown are for illustration purposes and may differ from the actual final product.
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