What do the St. Louis Arch and this table have in common?

What do one of the U.S.’s most recognizable monuments and this pedestal table have in common?

They were both designed by the same person, Mr. Eero Saarinen!

I told you all about my visit to St. Louis over the weekend, during which we spent a lot of time at the Arch. I was reminded during this time that the same person who designed several notable modern furniture pieces.

Saarinen was born in Finland and immigrated with his family to the U.S. when he was a kid. He studied architecture at Yale and later teamed with Charles Eames to design furniture for a home furnishings competition. He had a very successful career as both an architect and as a furniture designer for Knoll.

Saarinen Womb Chair (source)

The TWA terminal at JFK in New York (Ezra Stoller)

 

Saarinen Tulip Chair

Construction of the St. Louis Gateway Arch

 

Saarinen Tulip Side Tables

I hope you enjoyed my little design history lesson for the day