NEW! Design Thursdays...

...in which I share some wonderful element of design, either of-the-moment or, more likely, one that has captivated me for years.

This week: the Eero Saarinen Tulip Table.

I know most of you design-savvy, uber-cool early-adopters are unimpressed by this pick.  I don't care.  I just want to sing my praises of this example classic, perfect design.  Things I love about it:
  • Its stability.  Somehow the base is solid enough that you can try to press down as hard as you can on any side and it will not give or topple over.
  • Its simplicity: White on white, beautiful curves in every direction, totally unassuming and unobtrusive, which means it will get along with pretty much any style and pair with all manner of chairs.
  • Its roundness: No pesky legs to bump your knees against, and everyone can see each other when they gather round.
I can't wait for the day when spending $2500 on a table will not be a big deal to me, and I can outfit my breakfast nook with one of these tables, where my kids can dangle their feet and draw in their coloring books.

Upvote Upvoted 2
9 responses
looks daiiiim slick and Alien.. just like the ones in the cubicles of those ultra-cool space ships..

Reminds me of Jetsons

— Aditya Arya
ikea has a knockoff of this selling for a hundred fifty bucks - (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40063632)... we actually bought one for our office but then found a zero table (http://www.dwr.com/product/categories/tables/dining+tables/zero-table-44-in.do) at a dwr warehouse instead so we gladly returned the DOCKSTA.
— Peter Kang
yup I've seen te knockoff... I guess I'm an elitist because I don't think I want to bother unless it's the real thing, especially since I'd prefer to the the table with the marble top =D

— Stephanie Lim
Knoll in San Francisco has an annual sale on all their furniture (usually up to 50% off), and one year we got a Saarinen coffee table and an end table. Also, Zinc Details on Fillmore Street also is a distributor, and you may, from time to time, check on deals they have on the Saarinen series.
— Patrick Au-Yeung
A friend once told me she visits my webpage to get up on her culture, but I must say, your blog along with Hester Ham's is what fulfills that function for me. Amazing/keep at it.
— Mina
is this going to be your prize when garry cashes out on posterous? =)
— Wendy
One of many prizes, my dear, one of many =)

— Stephanie Lim
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