Early Eero Saarinen for Knoll ‘Tulip’ Dining Table with Carrara Marble Top

This distinguished pedestal table from the Tulip collection was conceived by Eero Saarinen in the 1950s. It took him five years to perfect this specific design, which features a base reminiscent of a tulip flower or a stemmed wineglass. The aim of the design was to create serene interiors by eliminating visual clutter caused by traditional table legs. This particular model boasts a Carrara marble tabletop with striking grey veining.

Knoll International was established in New York in 1938 by the 26-year-old German Hans Knoll (1914-1955). Hans’ father, Walter Knoll, was a modernist and renowned furniture manufacturer known for his commitment to quality. After Hans’ untimely death, his wife Florence Knoll took the helm and guided the company to new heights, fostering collaborations with gifted designers such as Eero Saarinen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Richard Schultz, and Harry Bertoia.

Eero Saarinen (1910-1961), a Finnish-American architect, was instrumental in shaping the progressive and optimistic postwar American architecture. Saarinen designed numerous airports and worked with major corporate clients like IBM and General Motors, aligning his architectural identity with that of these companies. His designs became prevalent in both commercial and residential settings, influencing the aesthetic landscape of the United States during the 1950s and 1960s.