Platner Collection for Knoll Wire Side Table
View Similar Items
Platner Collection for Knoll Wire Side Table
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Warren Platner (Designer)
- Design:Platner Side TablePlatner Series
- Dimensions:Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Length: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: OAM01941stDibs: LU954120501462
Warren Platner
Though his vintage furniture and interiors are icons of mid-century modernism, architect and furniture designer Warren Platner took his stylistic inspiration from as far back as 18th-century France, once saying about his seminal collection for Knoll that his design intent was to evoke “the kind of decorative, gentle, graceful kind of design that appeared in period style like Louis XV.”
Indeed, the marriage of modern sensibility and classical grace is a marker of Platner’s style across furnishings and interiors — both genres in which he left an enduring legacy.
Born in 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland, Platner studied architecture at Cornell before cutting his teeth working for design icons like Eero Saarinen and Kevin Roche, eventually serving as head of interior design in the latter’s office. In 1965, Platner opened his own office, in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he continued to hone his particular brand of graceful modernism.
Knoll released the Platner Collection of seating and tables in 1966. (Originally designed in 1962, the suite took nearly four years of development to bring to life.) The decorative bent-metal-and-glass pieces — an armchair, a dining table and more — make certain nods to the trademarks of his former employers, but also to the shapes of historic European furniture. The sculptural elegance of his line recalls Saarinen’s iconic Tulip collection, which includes armchairs and dining tables, while his materiality aligns with Roche’s cutting-edge use of glass and metal for the headquarters of the Ford Foundation in New York.
Many of Platner’s Knoll pieces would go on to find homes in a certain fabled locale: the Windows on the World restaurant at the original World Trade Center, whose interiors Platner was tapped to outfit in the mid-1970s. Upon the opening of the restaurant in 1976, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger dubbed its style “sensuous modernism” — an apt tagline for Platner’s oeuvre as a whole.
Platner died in 2006 at the age of 86. His furniture is still produced by Knoll, and original examples — along with idiosyncratic custom works he created for interior design clients — are coveted by collectors today.
Find vintage Warren Platner furniture on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Warren Platner for Knoll Wire OttomanBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Brooklyn, NYOversized steel wire ottoman in bouclé, designed by Warren Platner for his namesake Platner collection for Knoll. Now a Classic modern form that is at once Industrial and organic. Up...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Footstools
MaterialsSteel
- Warren Platner for Knoll Wire StoolBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYIndustrial and organic steel wire stool by Warren Platner from the Platner Collection for Knoll, after 1966. Newly upholstered in a creamy, textural wool. In excellent condition. Cur...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsSteel
- Richard Schultz Petal End Table for KnollBy Knoll, Richard SchultzLocated in Brooklyn, NYOriginal vintage petal end table by Richard Schultz for Knoll. This lovely end table adorns eight individual “petals” inspired by Queen Anne’s Lace. Ea...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Jens Risom Walnut Magazine TableBy Jens RisomLocated in Brooklyn, NYOriginal model T.539 walnut side table, designed by Jens Risom in 1949. Fantastic angular profile is sleek and modern. Wedge-shaped top exhibits beautiful walnut wood grain. Function...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Oval Tulip Side TablesBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYIconic tulip occasional tables, designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. A playful version in the Pedestal table series, the oval top adds a touch o...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsSteel
$3,200 / set - Warren Platner Easy Lounge Chair and OttomanBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Brooklyn, NYLuxurious model 1705 easy lounge chair and ottoman, designed by Warren Platner for Knoll. Zinc steel wire rods are bent and welded to form a graceful...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsZinc
- Platner Side Table by Knoll in Rare CopperBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Highland, INWith his "Platner Collection" for Knoll in 1966, Warren Platner introduced a richness and luxury to post-war American modernism that had not existed previously. The matching group included side chairs, lounge chairs, a settee and tables. They were offered in polished chrome, rich bronze, and for a single year in 1969, in copper. The smallest of the collection of tables Warren Platner designed for Knoll in 1966, this side table nonetheless has great visual presence. The wire rods of the base capture space, create shifting moire' patterns, and support the top. This rare copper...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsCopper
- Warren Platner for Knoll Mid Century End TableBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Countryside, ILWarren Platner for Knoll Mid Century End Table This table measures: 16 wide x 16 deep x 18.25 inches high, with a glass top of 24 ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBrass
$1,295 / set - Warren Platner Side Tables for KnollBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Houston, TXWarren platner pair of side or occasional tables Knoll International USA, 1960s Oak, bronzed steel Measures: 18.5 height × 24 diameter inches.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsSteel
$7,500 / set - Eero Saarinen Tulip Side Table for KnollBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CAOne of Saarinen’s most enduring designs, part of the Pedestal Collection and designed in 1957, this side table features a forest green enameled heavy molded cast aluminum base with a...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Warren Platner for Knoll Bronze Base Side Table with Walnut TopBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Dallas, TXAn iconic design by Warren Platner. A bronze finish side table with restored walnut top. Dated 1974.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Warren Platner for Knoll International Side Table in Glass and SteelBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Waalwijk, NLWarren Platner for Knoll International, coffee table, glass, metal, United States, design 1966, later production This iconic side table by Warren Platner is created by welding curve...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsSteel