Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (/ˈsɑːrɪnən/, Finnish: [ˈeliel ˈsɑːrinen]; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish-American architect known for his work with art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century.
Some of his works are showcased below,
the Helsinki Railway Station built in Finland in 1907-1919; a submitted rendering of which he was a finalist for an architecture competition in Finland.
For the purpose of this topic of this blog, Eliel Sarineen most importantly was the co-architect of the Cranbook Art Academy. Many of the designers of this time had a connection to this art and design school.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliel_Saarinen#/media/File:Eliel_Saarinen.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliel_Saarinen#/media/File:Eliel_Saarinen.jpg
Mid-century Modern the term to objects and the interiors that were originally designed during the middle of the 20th century (roughly 1940s-early 1970s) and that are *modern* in style and construction -- aligned with the Modernism movement of the period. This design aesthetic is typically characterized by clean, simple lines, honest use of materials, and generally does not include decorative embellishments.
Can be found~
residential housing
commercial buildings (corporate offices)
television shows, commercials, film
art work
clothing and accessories
textiles
Were applied across the decorative arts~
architecture
furniture design
fashion design
interior design
film and televison
Cranbook Art Academy
Founded in 1904, the views of the academy were of bringing good design to the mass market. A few of the architects highlighted in this blog are alum of the academy.
Florence Knoll
Eero Saarinen (son of Eliel Saarinen)
Charles Eames
Harry Bertoia
The Cranbrook Art Academy is still in existence today, and the annual tuition will run a student about $38,000+ per year.
https://www.knoll.com/knollnewsdetail/florence-knoll-metropolis (bottom left)
Florence Knoll has been revolutionary for her considerable contributions to architecture, furniture design and open-office planning. As the driving force behind the development of the Knoll furniture brand, and the founder of the company's ground-breaking Planning Unit, Florence Knoll is considered one of the most influential figures in 20th-century design.
Florence Knoll married Hans Knoll whose father was a modern furniture manufacturer, who supported the National Socialist regime. In 1938, he moved to New York City, and found a furniture manufacturing company of his own. In 1941, he paired with furniture designer Jens Risom to launch the Hans Knoll Furniture Company. Years after, he hired Florence Knoll and the two were married. Florence Knoll convinced her husband that she could help bring in business to his company even in America's wartime economy by expanding into interior design and working with architects. Tragically, Hans Knoll had his Porsche sent to Cuba for a business trip, and died in a car crash with a runaway truck in 1955 at the age of 41.
Today, the Knoll Planning Unit, which set the standard for the mid-century Modern interior, is widely recognized as groundbreaking. The Knoll Planning Unit provided a uniquely efficient and “total design” approach, and Florence Knoll further distinguished herself during this period as an influential woman in a male-dominated industry. Florence Knoll's meticulous methods of assessing a client’s needs and patterns of use were prized by the most prominent corporate clients of that period, including CBS, General Motors and IBM.
https://www.knoll.com/story/shop/the-planning-unit (top left, top right)
https://www.knoll.com/the-archive?detail=c7 (top middle)
https://www.knoll.com/story/shop/the-planning-unit (bottom left)
https://www.davincilifestyle.com/wallpaper-florence-knoll-bassett-1917-2019-obituary/ (bottom middle)
She developed many of the company's design classics, and also commissioned iconic pieces from figures like Mies van der Rhoe, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi.
https://www.knoll.com/product/barcelona-chair (bottom left)
https://www.knoll.com/product/womb-chair (bottom right)
Charles Eames 1907–1978 Ray Eames 1912–1988
Charles and Ray Eames were a husband/wife team most well known for their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, and furniture and industrial design and manufacturing. They both attended the Cranbook Art Academy, where they met. They are best remembered for their mid-century modern furniture, built from innovative materials, including molded plywood, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, and bent metal wire and aluminum, which offered consumers beautiful, functional, and inexpensive products.
“Design addresses itself to the need.”
-Charles Eames
LCW Chair - 1947
Experimented with wood making molding techniques. Applied their molded plywood techniques they acquired, during their first major commission with the U.S. Navy. They were commissioned to make molded plywood leg splints for injured sailors. The goals was for this chair to be ergonomically curved to fit the body. The technique allowed for major production to take place. In 1946, Evans Products began producing the Eames’s furniture. Their molded plywood chair was called “the chair of the century” by the influential architectural critic Esther McCoy. Production was then taken over by Herman Miller, Inc., which continues to produce the furniture in the United States today.
Molded Fiberglass Armchair - 1948
They used the same materials of show helmets, that were used during World War II. These were the first one-piece plastic chairs that were not covered with some type or form of upholstered fabric. Thanks to a new proprietary process of producing fiberglass, Herman Miller was able to produce the Eames original 1950's Molded Fiberglass Chair safely
by means of a less volatile, monomer-free "dry bind" process. Like the original shell chairs, the new fiberglass finish has the same covetable surface variation and tell-tale fiberglass striation that have attracted avid vintage collectors for decades.
With a grand sense of adventure, Charles and Ray Eames turned their curiosity and boundless enthusiasm into creations that established them as a truly great husband-and-wife design team. Their unique synergy led to a whole new look in furniture. Lean and modern. Playful and functional. Sleek, sophisticated, and beautifully simple. That was and is the "Eames look."
With the molded plastic, fiberglass, and wood shell chairs -as well as the wire chair- the Eames' have created a universal response to what everyone wants from a chair: a simple, gracious form that fits any body and every place.
https://hivemodern.com/pages/product7152/eames-molded-fiberglass-armchair-4-leg-base-herman-miller?gclid=CjwKCAjwtqj2BRBYEiwAqfzur94fTbGWRyvlems_8S7H9ebCF-aXQ3qpSowxbOKKQKSTwDEnIC9BRhoCu4oQAvD_BwE
Womb™ Chair
Eero Saarinen 1948
Florence (Schust) Knoll, Eero Saarinen, and Charles Eames all attended Cranbrook Art Academy together. Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames begin to explore the potentials of plywood in furniture-making.
Eero Saarinen designed the groundbreaking Womb Chair at Florence Knoll's request for "a chair that was like a basket full of pillows - something she could really curl up in." This mid-century classic supports countless positions and offers a comforting oasis of calm—hence the name.
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