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  • Womb 75th Anniversary

The Womb Chair
at 75 Years

Revolutionary in 1948 and resonant today in homes, workplaces, and the cultural zeitgeist, the Womb Chair persists as a ubiquitous beacon of comfort and icon of modern design.

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The need for unbound comfort

Designed for Florence Knoll by Eero Saarinen, the Womb Chair defied conventions of what a chair could be—from the feminist instinct that sparked its inception to the materials and construction that shaped its organic form.

Womb 75th Anniversary

A defiance of the status quo

At the helm of Knoll, Florence fostered an impressive cadre of creative collaborators—often former colleagues from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, like Eero Saarinen—and set their talents free with a design vision guided by her meticulous eye and pioneering spirit.

KnollStudio
KnollStudio

The lounge chairs of the ‘40s encouraged society’s expectations of how a woman should sit: upright, ankles crossed, hands folded. Florence had a different idea.

“I told Eero I was sick and tired of the one-dimensional lounge chair…long and narrow. I want a chair I can sit sideways in or any other way I want,” she said of her 1946 request. Her friend and collaborator agreed, noting the need for a “large and really comfortable chair to take the place of the old, overstuffed chair”—one that would suit the look of their own modern interiors.

KnollStudio
Top right and bottom right image courtesy of Yale University Library

“Now more than ever, we need to relax.”

EERO SAARINEN

KnollStudio
Image courtesy of Yale University Library

A new form takes shape

Eero initially attempted the design with the molded plywood he recently favored, but it soon became clear that the size would push beyond the material's capabilities.

He and Florence heard of a New Jersey-based commercial shipbuilder who was experimenting with fiberglass and resin. After many iterations and prototypes, the fiberglass form was perfected. Coupled with ample armrests and a sweeping backrest, the comforting cup-like effect that Florence craved took shape.

The chair debuted in 1948 as the Model 70, and Eero filed a patent for his “shaped chair”. The organic form and liberating comfort earned it a nickname later officially adopted—the Womb Chair—and spurred a quick ascent to popularity.

Womb 75th Anniversary

Made by hand for 75 years

From molding and shaping the shell to stitching perfectly tailored seams, a team of highly skilled artisans have mastered a methodical approach to make every Womb Chair.

An icon overnight

The Womb Chair saw instant popularity upon its release and quickly ascended to cultural icon status. The chair’s immediately recognizable form, and the ideas behind its initial design intent—to answer our primal need for unbound comfort—continue to resonate across generations.

Womb 75th Anniversary

A Womb for Every Room

 

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