Mid Century Modern Icon - The Womb Chair

The Womb Chair. Doesn’t the name say it all with this beauty? There are few pieces that truly stand the test of time when it comes to concept and materiality… Yet, 70 years after its inception, the Womb Chair still checks all the boxes!

Its creator, architect Eero Saarinen, came of age at the height of the mid century modern era, counting among his friends some of the most well-known and influential designers of the era. This icon is as much a product of those friendships as it’s a representation of its time!

To say Saarinen was born to make this lounge chair isn’t an overstatement. Born in Finland to architect Eliel Saarinen, Saarinen moved to America. By fifteen, he was helping his father design the art museum and school building of the famed Cranbrook Academy of Art.

This academy is known as the cradle of American Modernism for its impact on MCM design and architecture. Bertoia and Florence Knoll were in the academy as artists in residence, whose convergence and collaboration would leave us with the most iconic furniture of all time.

In the late 1940s, America was immersed in the post-war economic boom where manufacturing was skyrocketing. New materials were developed and old materials were used in exciting ways. Saarinen used molded plywood to craft an award-winning chair.

This chair design gave Saarinen the genius ideaof molding a material to conform to the shape of the human body, which he would later use for the iconic Womb Chair. Remember Saarinen’s school pal Florence Knoll?She called on Saarinen to contribute their designs to the company.

Florence conveyed the need for a lounge chair that was different from the others in existence, claiming wanting “a chair that is like a basket full of pillows”.It would be a chair meant to be used for relaxing during their new-found leisure time, a chair she could “really curl up in”.

That’s how the enveloping Womb Chair was born in 1946! Two years later, the Womb Chair was put into production officially, and is still in production now. Saarinen had masterfully achieved his goal of designing a lounge chair proportioned to the human body and revolutionary in its design.

When asked why the mid century modern icon was shaped like a womb he said, “A great number of people have never really felt comfortable and secure since they left the womb.” Of course, it was an instant success.

A 1958 Coca-Cola Christmas campaign featured Santa taking a much-earned break while drinking a bottle of Coke in a Womb Chair. Today, it’s a staple in homes around the world!

We hope this info inspires you. As you can see, this clean lined, sculptural masterpiece is still as relevant today as it was when it was first manufactured decades ago. Ready to relax in a comfy Womb Chair reproduction from Manhattan Home Design? Browse our extensive catalog!