The Stylish Shape of the Organic Tulip Table

Finnish born Eero Saarinen is internationally recognized as an Organic Modernist architect and designer who contributed to the reinvention of domestic and industrial design. Not only was he appreciated for his architectural works, he also played a fundamental role within the furniture design industry of the 40s.

Most of the pieces, including the Tulip Table, became icons and benchmarks of the mid century modern era when materials, functions and forms took a whole new direction when compared to the past.

The TWA terminal in New York and the Tulip Table,two of his most iconic pieces ever, share the same basic concept - fusion of structural elements into one organic shape!Produced ever since 1956, the sleek Tulip Table was born to pair with the Tulip Chair designed one year earlier.

Being the first single leg table ever, also known as pedestal, this masterpiece found fame overnight. This mastermind naturalized in America had a “holistic” approach to design,and knew exactly how to balance technology and art, while combining an insatiable technical curiosity with his artistic skills.

Early on in the development stage for the Tulip Chair and Tulip Table, Saarinen reportedly told his friends, “We have chairs with four legs, with three and even with two, but no one has made one with just one leg, so that’s what we'll do.”

Saarinen’s first design of the Tulip Table was one of the first furniture pieces made in molded plastic. Even if the base was made in strong cast aluminum,the pedestal made of plastic back then wasn’t resistant enough to hold up a table top.

The Tulip Collection was born within a context of competition between the most relevant furniture brands in America. In 1954, Hans Knoll wrote Saarinen a letter, stating, “the prospect of having you work on a new furniture program after the first of the year is most encouraging and promising.”

Saarinen answered instantly by saying, “I am really very enthusiastic about the whole idea… I have been working evenings and have a whole wall full of sketches. I have come up with an idea that I think will wipe Herman Miller off the map!”

Not only did the Tulip Table from Knoll find international success, but it also became an instant icon of modern furniture design, keeping its futuristic look after all these years. Saarinen’s previsions weren't wrong!Available in dining size, coffee size, bar size and side size, versions of different colors and top sizes,the Tulip Table replica comes with table tops in marble, laminate or woodwith a powder coated round metal base in black, white, or silver.All the variants are characterized by its unmistakable organic form!

We hope this info inspires you. Whether you’d like a white or black Tulip Table from Manhattan Home Design, the stylistic shape of this organic beauty by Saarinen will level-up any interior. Browse our extensive catalog!