Platner Side Armchair - Knoll

Here is the story of one of the most sought-after and recognized designs of the furniture firm Knoll, thePlatner armchair.

An original design that stands out for its structure with base and seat shell formed by metal wires available in various finishes that is completed with an upholstered seat and backrest, which adds a more comfortable and cozy touch to the design.

With his experience at the firm of Eero Saarinen and Associates, it's no surprise that the mantelpiece for the second generation of pedestal and wire furniture falls on Warren Platner's creative shoulders. Reflecting a dramatic shift in cultural values, modernism became more expressive in the 1960s. Platner felt there was an opportunity to merge the competing aesthetics of the time.

"I started thinking about what I thought furniture could really be, specifically a chair, starting with the philosophy that it's not going to be aggressively technological or handcrafted... I, as a designer, felt that there was room for the kind of decorative, soft and elegant design that appeared in a period style like Louis XV, but it could have a more rational basis rather than being an applied decoration... I thought why separate the support from the object. Make it all one. It starts on the ground and goes up and wraps around me, holds me... What I wanted to achieve was a chair that was first and foremost complementary to the person sitting in it, or to the person in the space between the wall and the chair. what the chair did for the person with respect to the scale of the person and the space."

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If you are interested in other finishes or upholstery for this Knoll chair, contact us.