Living Room and Chair Saarinen’s parents, Eliel Saarinen and textile designer Loja Saarinen, immigrated to the United States in 1923 and settled in Michigan, where Eliel helped found the Cranbrook Academy for the Arts. Eero, who worked there as a student apprentice, struck up a friendship with Charles Eames, whom he would collaborate with to develop molded plywood furniture. While Eero’s legacy mostly springs from his playful building designs, his furniture work, like the Womb chair (still in production by Knoll), were emblems of modern design, so much so, that the Coca-Cola company used the image of a tired Santa slumped on one of these curvaceous chairs. Photo 2 of 10 in Design Classic: Eero Saarinen's Womb Chair from Design Icon: Eero Saarinen

Design Classic: Eero Saarinen's Womb Chair

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Eero Saarinen sitting in a Womb chair. Photo courtesy of Harvey Croze, Cranbrook.

Photo Categories: Living Room, Chair