CB2 also has a great one- their Odyssey Table. We've had ours for two years (and 2 kids!) and its great. Only $199: http://www.cb2.com/odyssey-white-dining-table/s141243

I have a tulip table that I found at my former university. After removing the top and a lot of gum its a very nice piece. Does anyone know if there is any way to tell who made tulip table I have?

We did a little DIY with the CB2 Odyssey tables, combining the white base of one and the wood top of another to get that super Saarinen look .

Since the subject of knockoffs is a controversial one here (and anywhere really) it might be interesting to do a post on what makes the "original" cost 10 times as much as a knockoff. I'm not saying an original is not worth it, or that there's not an ethical dimension to purchasing a licensed version, but I'd be interested in a cost breakdown.

I just think of Roger Sterling sitting behind his Saarinen table. The one from Ikea just wouldn't have the same effect. Just sayin'.

@travislessness - I agree, and I'd take it a step further. How much was the tulip table when it was first produced? In other words, how much has labor cost gone up/down, how much of that price tag goes to cover the licensing costs, how much is due to inflation, and how much of it is pure profit? That could lend some insight into what you're paying for when you buy the original.

My own eventual source will be my grandma's house. I'm in no hurry to get it from her, but she's promised it to me once they move to a smaller place (along with her vintage orange fiberglass Eames shell chairs).

I've been a professional furniture designer and retailer for years, and I can tell you that the "original" label should never apply to modern classics. It's sole purpose is to vastly inflate the manufacturer's profit margin. To wit, I bought an "original" Corbusier LC4 chaise, which DWR sells for $3685, for $400 from Cassina themselves, using my trade discount. But the larger point is that Corbusier himself designed furniture expressly for the new industrial mass production techniques, intending it to be widely and cheaply available. To charge over 3K for one of his pieces flies directly in the face of his entire career. And more or less the same is true of such figures as van der Rohe, the Saarinens, the Eameses, and so on. Only a hipster doofus or Wall Street nitwit would seek out "originals" of designs made in large quantities at huge factories. It's the form and quality that count—according to the designers themselves. Buy the best "knockoff" you can afford and be happy you're not getting duped by Knoll, Cassina, Herman Miller and their ilk.

@tetegrondona Really? Even a "serious" antique? I spent $2000 on a jumbotron armoire (that will now be the bane of my existence forEVER because I can only move places where it will fit), but I love it long time. It is the most expensive piece of furniture I own, but I also never tire of it, it's well made and provides much needed storage. Plus it won't depreciate in value like a new sofa that would have cost just as much or more. Why is it wrong? I don't buy new stuff so I'm being environmentally responsible. Don't get me wrong, if I could afford it I'd buy a new spendy comfy sofa .. but I digress. Why is it wrong to spend big money on furniture? I don't get it. I like furniture.

While I personally side with Tetegrondona in finding that spending thousands on a single piece of furniture to be excessive, I also see that it may just be a question of priorities. While I don't feel the need to spend a lot of money on my furniture, I probably spend quite a bit on something else that someone would call excessive.

And, personally, I'm not sure I'd consider two grand on an armoire "excessive."

I will say that almost $8,000 for an "authentic" Saarinen table is pretty out there. I'd rather buy the cheap IKEA knock-off and use the rest of the money to visit another country.

When did apartment therapy become the marketplace and showroom for knockoffs? If you're going to tell me that an Ikea 'tulip' table is comparable to an original Saarinen tulip table manufactured by Knoll Studio, then my head's going to explode.

True, the Knoll table is many times more expensive, but I plan on keeping it for awhile. I plan on only having one. My brother, whose owned several of the Ikea tables (because they break) is more concerned with "the look", whereas I'm concerned with durability, among other things.

QUOTE: A new authentic table will set you back a few thousand.

*New* and *authentic* are contradictory terms in this context.

@ Discerning

I disagree. Many classic furniture designs, including the Saarinen tulip table and womb chair, are still in production. A recently manufactured one is "new" and if it is manufactured to the specifications of the original design it is "authentic." Knoll, Inc., has hundreds of designs still being manufactured that are classics. Cassina produces Le Corbusier designs protected by an exclusive, worldwide rights license drawn up in 1964, when the iconic architect was still alive, carrying the seal of the Fondation Le Corbusier. So if you buy a Le Corbusier chair that is "new" it is still "authentic."

If you can afford the DWR table made in the original factory and that's what you want, go for it. I think that is better than spending less money on a lower quality piece that falls apart after a couple years (which has been my experience with my Ikea purchases). But to each his/her own.

You don't have to spend big money to have nice things; I found my Tulip Table in the trash on Bowery in NYC, pulled a bunch of Eames shell chairs out of a building to be gutted just a few blocks later, and I picked up my Eames 670 Lounge at an antique store in the Finger Lakes for $8.00.

Anyone have experience with http://www.whiteonwhite.com ? Theirs looks well done.

Pantomath, you are amazingly lucky!

I had the ikea docksta... wiggliest table ever! The base is made out of cheap plastic. Check ebay/craigslist/kijiji for the burke version. I have one now and it's great!

I'd actually like to see AT (or someone) go all Consumer Reports on the licensed vs. unlicensed repros issue. Quality, durability, manufacturing cost, country of origin, and so on.

ALECM,
I bought a Saarinen tulip table from White on White about 4 years ago. The marble they use is Chinese not Italian, but I wanted the table for my outdoor patio so I liked the price. The table has held up well- even exposed to the weather.

Just picked one up from http://www.roveconecpts.com Oval table actually to be exact. Beautiful Italian Carrera, with the original aluminum base. Probably the best quality reproduction ive found

MK...so can your trade discount get me one of these tables 42 inches in white marble. I promise I'll love you forever :)