apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i know you said no mid-century modern but how about Cherner chairs? I love them and have antique ones in ebonized and mahogany wood. they're now being reissued. unfortunately it seems like they're only selling stools in the floor sample sale.
www.chernerchair.com
could mix well with other things you find on craigslist.

Hi-- Check out the ask teh experts section at Pure Contemporary magazine-- they'll have a designer tell you the best places to find what you're looking for and give you some ideas in your price range. Good Luck!

Hi-- Check out the ask the experts section at Pure Contemporary magazine-- they'll have a designer tell you the best places to find what you're looking for and give you some ideas in your price range. Good Luck!

Interior designer Vicente Wolf does an amazing job of mixing styles, and the Saarinen table is a favorite of his. Pick up his book "Learning to See" for inspiration. He also frequently tackles the scenario you describe... where the table is not just a spot for dining.

Other ideas... I like the Eames eiffel-base chairs with that table. I love a slipcovered parson-style chair (slipcover in a natural linen), and I am a big fan of the Starck hudson chair with that table. I could also see the Air chair for a way-different vibe. How about a half-round Kagan-esque banquette style on one side and two very different "statement" side chairs? Also agree with Cristy on the Cherner chairs, a new favorite since seeing it in orange at the ICFF.

This is one of my favorite "assignments" so I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again!

I hear you! I am currently searching for a kitchen table and set of chairs. I'm leaning towards the eames round table with aluminum base and the Jake chairs from Room and Board. The chairs are only $99 and come in several colors: white, black, natural and red. They are like the Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chair but a lot cheaper. Maybe they will work for you?

Reef

How 'bout the Brno chair. Room and Board carries both flat frame and tubular, and they even show it on their site with the Saarinen table.

Actually, R&B has a number of viable candidates under their "Dining... Chairs" link.

thanks p(too). i totally second your banquette idea, coupled with a mix of chairs that would look awesome.

I paired my Tulip (Which is an old one with a walnut veneer top) with Eames Eiffel Tower chairs. It works and take up little room.

The Emeco Navy chairs (the originals, of which Starck's Hudson were a reinterpretation) could also work. I think a metal chair of almost any kind would relate well, color-wise, to the grey veining of the marble.

CB2 has some clean lined chairs that would probably work well with the table. Maybe the giorgia or lilly?

I actually went the round table route and paired it with a round couch (banquette) and three chairs. I chose the leather Bottega chairs from DWR and I actually found the rounded couch at the door store of all places. I am so glad I did not go the formal dining room route, and instead have a very comfortable dining area that we spend a great deal of time at. Bonus is my dog can sit next to me as I eat, downside is my dog sits next to me as I eat (read: drool). The round sofa is not on the door store website, if you are really interested in the idea I can take a picture tonight of ours. Let me know. They have several fabrics to choose from, some kinda retro and cool.

I paired my Tulip table with the Morrow chairs from Pottery Barn (and they're currently on sale right now). The chairs are stackable, which means I can keep two or four around for daily needs and add more as needed.

raquel, please post pictures... i'm moving into a new place in a few weeks and the living room will also function as a dining area (kitchen is not eat-in) so i'm thinking about solutions, and would love to see yours. thanks!

Hi ali. Here is our dining area. Let me know if this works, if not I can email you the pictures. Good luck!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8bnjv1z.1gktscbv&x=0&y=-aelfxw

A quick peruse of cb2.com yields another options, in addition to Bnjy's cb2 suggestions...

Posh Chair
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=206&f=1959

I've got mixed black & white Verner Panton S chairs around my white saarinen table.
They look fantastic together, the curves go really well.

Forget my suggestion, I love the Verner Panton S chairs. I was admiring them last night on the Real World Austin, and I just love love them. Can I ask a question am I the only one who adore almost every piece of furniture in that house, from the Angela Adams rugs to the Modulicious storage. I dont quite love the place as a whole, I mean it is great for horny twentysomethings but I need a little more kid friendly.

thanks for the link, raquel. it looks great and gives me more ideas!

I have this same marble table (eBay, $900 since the metal base needed re-painting), and decided to pair it with a Nelson "flying saucer" bubble lamp and ... (bracing for a barrage of hate mail) ... Starck Ghost chairs.

I liked the comfort, lightness, and no-maintenance of the chair in my bathroom, and the chairs work very well in the small dining area as well. It's a neat juxtaposition of the (literally) weighty, venerated design icons of the table and lamp vs the "outlaw" wit of the clear plastic chair. Still, the chair's classic design nods to the ornate details in the Victorian brownstone apartment.

The dining area is situated next to the bay window (three windows), and especially when the sun streams in, the chairs look almost invisible. Therefore, the chairs "save" space visually, and also stack efficiently. When we have parties, I scatter the chairs throughout the living area and bedroom, and they don't look like escapees from a dining set. Plus, they're not too precious to bring outdoors for a backyard BBQ.

My uncle, a dealer in modern art, has a huge Saarinen marble table, which he surrounds with six white Bertoia wire grid chairs with white leather seat pads.

Otherwise, i also advocate the Panton chairs.

I think Starck offers quite a few options, in addition to some mentioned, and HH's Ghost (no gasps here! I like those chairs, when suited)...

Starck options range from pricey (e/r/o/s, with either pedestal or eiffel-esque base, to the Toy chair-- a waaaay different look, given its boxy, solid color counterpoint to the the sleek and monochromatic table-- and down to the budget range... the Starck folding, canvas covered chairs from Target.com... at a mere $20 a pop.

One more idea...

The Ross Lovegrove Orbit chair (Jacobsen Ant chair inspired...)

http://www.plushpod.com/item_157.php#

In ash, zebra wood (gor. geous.) and a much budget-friendlier polypropylene, in a variety of colors.

And they stack.

And another!

Aside from the basic black, the Bertoia Side Chair is available in white and chrome, both pretty cool looks with the Saarinen table.

http://circa50.com/knbertoiachair.html

circa50 also offers a wide range of cushion colors.

One young fashion designer in NY has four fifties chairs around a Saarinen table in his small living room-cum-dining area.

This is what I have with mine:

http://copenhagen.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/oicgi.exe/inet_add_to_cart?cust_no=guest-10762555&item=CHAR-VENICE/YEL

only $99 and it looks fantastic. They come in red, black, brown and yellow.

I'm not so sure about the Panton chairs. I just got a set of 6 of them to go around my white Saarinen dining table.

The table sits on a black granite floor, so I was hoping for a dramatic effect, but instead it looks a little, well, cluttered. The Panton chairs are simply too massive around the bottom for the Tulip table. They obscure its shape completely.

Saarinen once said that he designed this table in order to "liberate the space" under the dining table from the clutter of legs, supports, cross bars, etc. Any chair that is paired with it should respect that purpose.

I'm thinking the Bertoia's or some other wire framed chairs might be ideal.

Hi.
I have a large amount of Arkana furniture for sale- I have about 30 large tables and 85 chairs which will match your table. I also have about 10 coffee tables to match . they are all Tulip in style and genuine Arkana 1960's .

check out these ebay auctions that I have finished recently for photographs.
If you want more photos then feel free to email me on :mark@trademill.co.uk or tel uk 07811184433 ( I think it is 0044 7811184433 from outside uk.:

Arkana table 6619900457

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6619900457&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D6619900457%26fvi%3D1

4 chairs 6619900834

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6619900834&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D6619900834%26fvi%3D1



side table 6619900653

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6619900653&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D6619900653%26fvi%3D1

I am open to sensible offers for one item or the whole lot which is located in UK and takes up a 20 foot container space.

thanks
Mark

The vignelli handkerchief chair

http://www.centurymodern.com/knch.html

Oh dear. So, I sent in the original question on this post (apparently) over a year ago. Then I completely forgot about it. Thought you might want to know the outcome.

I've been using a combination of stools, a pair of deco-ish old hand-me downs, and a pair of the "Dolly" folding chairs in white from Kartell. Just bought a set of 4 Thonet cafe chairs in blonde wood. So, the folding chairs get folded and the hand-me downs get handed down again. The stools are becoming side tables.

Thanks for all of the comments - glad to hear I'm not the only one out there.

I just bought 4 Life chairs by Calligaris to go with my white laminate Saarinen table. I think the look will be lovely!

I've seen a white marble tulip dinning table match with 4-6 RED DCW chairs. The combination is so spectacular. Another option would be Saarinen #71 chairs with wood legs. Hope this help!