Womb Chair

One of the finest creators of the Mid Century Modern golden era, Eero Saarinen was a prolific and creative Architect and Designer who help to shape the landscape of modern America not only outdoors, but indoors. Interior Design celebrates him for works like the Tulip Table or the Womb Chair.

Born in Finland, Eero Saarinen (1910-1961) is the son of Eliel Saarinen, a Finnish architect who took his family to the States in 1923, when Eero was thirteen. Once established in Michigan, Eliel developed an outstanding career as an Architect creating its firm with Robert Swansen and teaching in the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he taught its own son. Eero Saarinen showed always great enthusiasm and natural talent for Architecture, studying Furniture and Sculpture, too.

In a fortunate encounter, Eero made friendships with Florence Knoll, a name that would define Modernism and what they call later Mid Century Modern. Lots of masterworks from that time were the result of a collaboration between several members of these groups, just like the Womb Chair.

After growing a solid academic background in Cranbrook, Yale and Europe too, Saarinen went back to the United States, to work in his father’s firm, and becoming an American citizen in 1940. From there, the career of Saarinen was a continuum sequence of professional success, since the Organic Design in Home Furnishing in 1940, when he won the first prize of the competitions.

Among the most famous works of Saarinen we find the Gateway Arc in St. Louis; the Washington Dulles International Airport, and several buildings in the most prestigious American universities.

As an amazing fact for such an interesting life, Saarinen worked full time for 5 years for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services of the Government of the United States, the first version of the CIA). Among his duties, he was in charge of drawing diagrams for the assembly and disassembly of bombs.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the opportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Sofa or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.