Authentic 1969 Eero Saarinen Leather Tulip Dining Chairs for Knoll International

Five original and vintage Eero Saarinen dark blue leather tulip dining chairs for Knoll International, 1969. These are authentic dining chairs from Eero Saarinen for Knoll International. These chairs were once used in the city hall wedding room of Eindhoven the Netherlands in 1969. In that room they were the witnesses of many happy marriages. The chairs are quite rare, because they are the fully upholstered editions. We received the chairs from a couple who bought them from the city hall. We added an original photo from 1969 of how the chairs were used and positioned in the wedding room in Eindhoven. Some chairs you see in the picture are the chairs we have for sale (Copyright photo Jan van Rooij, Eindhoven in beeld). The tulip chairs are early examples of 1969. When we removed one of the upholstered fibreglass shells, we discovered an original stamp which dates 26 July 1969. The dining chairs are in good condition with some traces of use to the white tulip base. Former owners decided to re-upholster the chairs in a dark blue (almost black) leather. The leather is in very good condition with some minor traces of use. Chairs are authentic and marked at the bottom of the base. The leather has a dark blue color.

Eero Saarinen is one of the most iconic and recognized designers from the mid-century. He was a Finnish-American architect famous for designing the Washington Dulles International Airport and is now considered one of the greatest of American 20th-century architecture. It was around 1938 he met Charles Eames who he became close friends with. Together they designed a collection of moulded plywood chairs for the 1940 Organic Design in Home Furnishings competition, sponsored by the MoMa. Their collection received prizes in many categories. In the same period Saarinen met Florence Knoll. When Knoll was starting his company, it was a obvious choice for Eero Saarinen to join him. It was at Knoll where Saarinen designed many of his most famous and classic design pieces. Items like the “Grasshopper” lounge chair, “Tulip” dining chair and table, the “Tulip” side and coffee table and the “Womb” sofa are well known design classics nowadays.