Fourteen years after Harry Bertoia's collection of steel mesh furniture made its debut, there came the Platner chair. Born of a generation embracing a more luxurious, sensual brand of modernism, the Platner chair gave new-school materials an old-school elegance.

Warren Platner had a long and productive career, but the Platner chair (and the collection of similar steel wire furniture he designed for Knoll) has been his most enduring design. The line has been produced continuously in the nearly fifty years since its introduction in 1966.

I think the secret of their success, and their timelessness, lies in the contradiction inherent in their design; there's something strange and space agey about them, but also something incredibly luxurious. All those metal wires coming together to make a lovely curvilinear shape is both elegant and visually arresting. The Platner chair's ability to lighten up an ornate space, or fancy up a spare, modern one, make it welcome pretty much anywhere.

TOP ROW:
1. In green, with the table from the same collection. From Decornet.
2. Nuevo Estilo via Interiors and Design Less Ordinary.
3. In a tailored interior from Atlanta Homes.
4. The gold Platner chairs definitely kick it up another notch. In a restaurant designed by Kelly Wearstler, from Lonny.
5. In an eclectic interior from Sea of Shoes.

BOTTOM ROW:
6. Modern luxury from David Hicks.
7. In an elegant interior from Elle Decor.
8. Lovely space (from Interiors Digital). also, can't help wondering what those platner chairs are going to do to that poor daybed.
9. In the living room of Oscar's Canada home (with the coffee table from the same collection).
10. In a modern dining room from Interiors Digital.

MORE WARREN PLATNER DESIGNS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Warren Platner: Beyond Steel Wire
• Design Classic: Warren Platner Wire Furniture for Knoll
• Revisiting a Classic: The Platner Dining Table

(Images: as linked above)