Featured in nearly all Florence Knoll-designed interiors, the Saarinen Executive Chair has remained one of our most popular designs for nearly 70 years. The design, which is now found in dining rooms as often as it is in offices, transformed the notion of what executive seating could be with its sculptural form and modern finishing.

Details
  • Category
    Armchairs, Office Chairs
  • Range
    MillerKnoll
  • Brand
    Knoll
  • Designer
    Eero Saarinen
Specifications

Dimensions: W749 x D762 x H768 x SH431mm

Frame: Base constructed of vertical steel rods welded to circular horizontal and edge-framing rods. Tabletops: Glass: 3/ thick; tempered glass with bevel on underside. Marble: .7 thick; transparent polyester coating with polished or satin finish; beveled edge. Wood: 1.0 thick; veneered medium density fiberboard with cathedral grain pattern; solid wood beveled edge. Wood tops are weighted for stability.

Finish: Nickel and 18k Gold finishes are plated and polished. Metallic bronze finish is a paint. Tabletops: Glass, Marble and Wood.

Detail: Clear plastic extrusion ring on bottom of the base for a smooth bottom surface

Design Story

After winning the Museum of Modern Art Organic Design Competition with Charles Eames for their experiments with bent plywood in 1941, Eero Saarinen was eager to continue exploring the possibilities of a chair that achieved comfort through the shape of its shell, not the depth of its cushioning. Initially, he began the investigation with designs for smaller fiberglass task 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.” While that’s not exactly where Saarinen ended up, 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 techniques and materials still in the infancy of their existence. Saarinen and Florence Knoll found a boat builder in New Jersey who was experimenting with fiberglass and resin to help develop manufacturing methods for the new chair. Florence Knoll: “He was very skeptical. We just begged him. I guess we were so young and so enthusiastic he finally gave in and worked with us. We had lots of problems and failures until they finally got a chair that would work.”

Unison Workspaces
Auckland
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About the
Seller

Unison is recognised as one of New Zealand market’s leading quality providers of interior commercial furniture and lighting.

Our aim is to provide design led, future proofed, quality, commercial products from world renown suppliers; to help customers create healthy, fun, collaborative, flexible and engaging environments.

We aim to help businesses create a workplace which will:

  • Enhance the wellbeing and health of the workforce
  • Attract and retain top employees
  • Enhance collaboration, innovation and productivity
  • Improve bottom line performance

We view the workplace as an “evolution” and never a one-time event, and recognise the importance of offering flexible quality solutions within a range of products and services, allowing our customer’s investment to evolve along with their business strategy.

With over 25 years of experience in the field and access to the world’s leading products, the team behind Unison bring with them the skills, knowledge and passion to help create spaces that drive productivity and long-term value.  Unison works in partnership with you on every aspect of your project from planning through to specifying, delivery and after sales support.

We’ve worked with businesses of all sizes and their A&D firms to understand, plan, design, develop, and build great workplaces.

And we recognise the importance of providing exceptional customer service so at we are focused on operational excellence and an enhanced customer experience.

“Research confirms what we know from common sense: a happy and healthy workplace leads to contented, productive staff, improved attraction and retention, stronger financial performance, faster growth, and an effective competitive edge”.

In Unison with Suppliers

Unison has exclusive distribution agreements in New Zealand with a range of world-leading international furniture manufacturers, so we can provide businesses with the right furnishing solution that best fits their needs.

The team at Unison have many years of experience working with leading suppliers, both locally and internationally.  From international manufacturers such as Herman Miller, Walter Knoll, Palau, Howe, Segis, Billiani and Muuto, through to local custom manufacturing solutions.

These manufacturers specialise in their respective niches and produce the best options available in the market, this includes:

Herman Miller – workstations, ergonomic seating, meeting room tables, classic designs – Eames, Nelson.

Walter Knoll – extensive soft-seating range German designed but manufactured in Australia.

Muuto - affordable luxury - a complete collection of Scandinavian furniture and lighting

Palau – World leading manufacturer of collaborative solutions and acoustic booths..

Howe – famous 40/4 chair and elegant demountable boardroom room tables

Segis and Billiani   – all offer collections of beautifully designed mixed material products for café and contract spaces.