Next in our mid-century modern series, we examine Eero Saarinen's seminal Tulip table, which embodied the Finnish-American designer and architect's hatred of table legs.
"The undercarriage of chairs and table in a typical interior makes an ugly, confusing, unrestful world," Saarinen remarked. "I wanted to clear up the slum of legs."
The designer achieved his vision in 1957 through the Pedestal Group, more commonly known as the Tulip collection. While a stool and a famous chair were also included, it was the table that arguably became the most influential.
Also known as the Pedestal table, the Tulip table is among the most famous mid-century modern design pieces. Photo by Joe Fletcher
Produced continuously by American furniture brand Knoll since its release and counterfeited countless times, the table is described by Dominic Bradbury in his Mid-Century Modern Design: A Complete Sourcebook as "one of the most recognizable and successful pieces of furniture of the mid-century period". Cast in enamelled aluminium, the table's sculptural single leg ? its pedestal ? resembles the stem of a wine glass, flaring as it meets the floor and the underside of the round tabletop.
Saarinen went to great lengths to achieve the clean, curving look that he wanted. Photo courtesy of Knoll
"There are no angles to break the sweep of the observer's eye along the pedestal," Saarinen wrote in the patent filing for the table.
"These designs have a very re...