I might possibly be coming into possession of a tulip table base. Whether it is an authentic Saarinen or not I have no idea. There are no markings according to my friend. One of my best buds (from when I lived in Baltimore) found the piece in her parent's attic. They got it from her grandparents. It's apparently not been used in years. It was in the grandmother's attic for years before her father found it after moving everything after his mother's death. My friend's father vaguely remembers it being in their kitchen when he was very young. He cannot remember what type of top it had, and no one knows who designed the actual table. It could be an authentic Saarinen for all I know. My friend is trying to convince her father to give it to me since she knows I collect that style furniture and since it is just gathering dust in the attic. He's a bit resistant. He's something of a pack-rat. He hardly ever throws/gives anything away even if he is not using it. Anyhoo, my question is, if I do get the base, how hard is it to find a top to go on it? And what would the price range for such a thing be?
Thanks for the links...
I looked over them before, but didn't really see anything about where to get just tabletops except from Knoll. Has anyone ever seen just the tabletops available anywhere else? I know it's more likely for the tabletops to get damaged then the base. If someone were to damage their tabletop where would they go to look for a new one (besides Knoll)? Is it possible to have something made that would look good on the base? I'm just trying to see if getting the tulip base is worth it without the tabletop. If it's going to cost an arm and a leg to get the top from Knoll, then I'll just wait until I can buy a complete table. Has anyone ever seen the tops available on ebay? I come across bases sometimes, but not sure I've ever seen the top available by itself.
Well,
as you know, the table is made with elliptical tops (or round ones, if your base is round at the bottom) of different materials: Carrera marble, wood veneer or plastic laminate (in a satin or semigloss finish, if I'm not mistaken). The special detail of the top is a chamfered edge, to create a thin line at the edge of the table.
The table is (was) made in several sizes and heights -- low tables as well as dining height, I believe. In order to know what the size of the original top was, you'd have to have the measurement of the base (width and length, and height) and compare that with what's available on the web. Collectors here might be of help.
Do you have a preference of material ?
I prefer...
either the white top or one of the wood veneer tops. The white would be my first choice, but I like the wood tops too. The marble top doesn't go well with the decorating scheme I have going in the dining area. Anyhoo, the base my friend's dad has is approximately 28" high and the diameter of the top is about 18.5".
Here's
the Knoll page for the series -- there isn't enough information there for you to determine which top is the right size for your base. (I assume the diameter you give is at the floor ?) Someone here may be able to help -- I have never owned one of these tables.
http://www.knoll.com/products/product.jsp?prod_id=107
These photos
show that the oval top has an oval base. If your base is round, it was meant to have a round top.
You can see the tapered edge of the top. If you didn't care about authenticity, you could have a top made to suit yourself, with an ordinary 3/4" thick edge. A cabinet shop or kitchen counter fabricator could make you a white laminate top for a couple of hundred dollars. They should make sure to draw a "true ellipse," based on the length and width you give them.
http://tri-stateantiques.com/imagesmodern/13341saarinen.html
Yeah,
I've browsed their site a few times, but haven't seen much that has been of use. And I don't want to buy the top from them because it's almost as expensive as buying the complete table. If I bought from Knoll, I'd just buy a new table, but I'd like to go vintage if I can. I'm pretty sure the base my friend's father has is authentic. She had a couple other of Knoll's pieces that he got after her death. He has a womb chair in his study that he also got from his mother's house. He isn't really into the whole mid-century modern furniture style but he loves that chair *sigh* I'd be more than happy to take it off his hands, but alas, it is one of the few mid-century modern pieces that he likes 🙂
room and board
The catalog, Room and Board has tops that are similar (not identical) to the Saarinen tops with the edge.www.roomandboard.com
Just be sure you know how the top attaches to your base. The lighter weight Burke bases simply screw through a square plate on the base--easy to put a new top on. The cast iron Knoll bases have a long single screw in the base that screws into a wood circle that then attaches to the top--very often the wood piece leaves with the top and then it is not so easy.
http://www.roomandboard.com
And yeah,
the base is round. I've seen the tables before and knock-offs too. There is an authentic one at one of the local shops, but it is in horrible condition. They are charging waaayyy too much for the condition that it is in. It would need major restoring. It's not worth the price their charging. I might think about getting a top made until I come across an actual vintage Knoll top. That's assuming my friend can talk her father into giving the base to me. I hate to think of it just collecting dust in the attic.
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