Eero Saarinen for Knoll / De Coene "executive" lounge chair, 1958 U.S.A.

Eero Saarinen for Knoll lounge chair with new petrol green velvet upholstery.
The chair is not marked.

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.