In his purist approach to architecture and interior design, Eero Saarinen sought the essential idea and reduced it to the most effective structural solution within an overall unity of design. “The underside of typical chairs and tables makes a confusing, unrestful world,” explained Saarinen. “I wanted to clear up the slum of legs.” In his pedestal collection, which includes a dining, coffee and side table, Saarinen realized his ideal of formal unity: “Every significant piece of furniture from the past has a holistic structure.” The tables are available in laminate, coated marble, natural marble and natural granite top finishes, in a wide range of colors.
The son of architect and Cranbrook Academy of Art director Eliel Saarinen and his wife, textile artist Loja, Eero Saarinen studied fine arts in Paris and architecture at Yale before working on furniture design with Norman Bel Geddes and practicing architecture with his father in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He collaborated on several projects, including a plywood leg splint for the U.S. Army, with his friend, Cranbrook alumnus Charles Eames. He opened his own practice in Ann Arbor in 1950. Among the many buildings for which he is known are Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri and the TWA Terminal at Kennedy International Airport in New York. He was the recipient of numerous awards and the subject of many exhibitions.