Tulip Chair and Table – Classic Mid-Century Modern

One iconic piece of furniture from the 50’s is the tulip chair designed by Eero Saarinen, the preeminent American architect of the mid 20th century.  This chair represented the promise of a wonderful future as I left home for college in 1959.  The simplicity and elegance of this chair and the matching table was completely alien to traditional furniture and even the new Scandinavian modern designs using wood.  This chair was seemingly one piece plastic although actually had an aluminum base and fiberglass seat and back, painted to appear as one.  They were expensive in the 50’s when I dragged my parents to the Merchandise Mart in Chicago when they took me to my first year at college and they are still expensive today.  My father felt that paying for college was better than buying chairs. The manufacturer still makes them and they still look like the future.  One of my early goals was to assemble a collection of modern classic furniture.  There always seemed to be better places for my money along the way so that stopped with our Eames Chair but what continues to amaze me is the timelessness of those designs.  So many of the pieces of furniture tagged as classics in the 60’s when my tastes were jelling are classics today.