Would anyone suggest appropriate alternatives or am I stuck with tulip chairs? I am well aware of the designer's intent here, but not sure if I might rather see (and sit upon) something else.
And, yes, I put quotations around "Saarinen" for reasons I don't really want to get into as I'm still wrestling with those. Let's just say it's a placeholder for purposes of ergonomic and visual reference for now, if so allowed.
Any and all suggestions are gratefully appreciated, of course. Thanks!
@tktoo2 Been looking at pictures and found candilever chairs with cane or other natural material quite appealing next to a white tulip table. Is yours white? I don’t really see wood there because the tulip has a completely artificial feel to it. For me it needs metal or some sort of plastic chairs as a companion. The steel tube of the cantilever chairs has this quality, the cane as a secondary material just helps making it warmer. Kjærholm PK9 would be an option, too.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
@herringbone, I've been wracking my brain for weeks and hadn't even considered these, thank you! Yes, the base on this table is white with walnut veneer top.
Ironic because we had a set of Breuer "Cesca" chairs for years in our first apartment and loved them. That was a loooong time ago, though. Pretty sure I remember my (now) wife picking them up at a second-hand furniture shop for next to nothing.
@tktoo2 Oh, white and walnut sounds great! Would love to hear what you eventually came up with.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
@herringbone, I will certainly let you know, but this is all experimental at this point and we've a history of moving at a glacial pace on these matters.
@herringbone, lol! It can seem like paralysis but, if one remains focused, occasionally we get lucky. Happens just often enough to keep me in the game (at least peripherally anymore)!
@tktoo2 I currently have a circular Saarinen tulip table with a white base and arabescato top that we've paired with a mix of Moller 71 and 75's in teak and cord (soon to all be binder cane....cat problems). We weren't sure of that combination of materials at first but have come to really love it. I will post a photo if I can find one.
All of that to say, I wouldn't worry too much about a "good" match. I personally find a tulip table with tulip chairs a bit too mod and sleek.
Yes, those Mollers are elegant in almost any setting, I agree. But maybe too elegant for us! Besides, someone who lives here thinks there is "too much wood" in this house already. And I agree about matching chairs. In our situation (open concept dining area), six tulip bases around an even larger one would present a jarring contrast stylistically to our other furnishings, especially if they were white.
As of now, I'm really warming to @herrinbone's suggestion of Breuer chairs thinking maybe natural beech and chrome cantilever frames might make a good, balanced pairing to help ease the transition.
Thanks for swinging by with ideas, though! It's always nice to see a familiar face.
@tktoo2 I creep around here a fair amount, but haven't posted in a while. It's always nice to come back.
I too field "too much wood" complaints, to which I respond "go look outside!"
I agree that the mutli-material Cesca chairs would pair nicely. Maybe also look at the Hoffman 881 chair or other Thonet-style chairs. I think the curves of those chairs will compliment the table nicely.
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