which lamp above saarinen tulip table  

PH5
I would absolutely consider the wonderful Poul Henningsen PH5 ceiling light. It looks like it was made to go with the beautiful Saarinen Dining room tulip collection.
http://www.ylighting.com/lpl-ph5.html

Good choice Barry, was slo...
Good choice Barry, was slo going to suggest a PH5. Maybe a Panton Globe or how about Poul Christiansen's no.167/169 or 172?

Both are beautiful
Both are beautiful; I wouldn't go crazy and get the Artichoke...you don't want to overpower the table and chairs!
Also, the Arne Jacobsen pendant is beautiful too....but it's no longer available....
How about the Jens Møller-Jensen:
Orbiter Maxi Pendant

Luzifer Nut
We puzzled over this problem for awhile. We opted for Eames DCM chairs because we didn't want to overpower the already white room with more white. We also wanted a lamp some other color than white for the same reason. We finally decided on the Luzifer Nut pendant. It casts a nice warm light in the room and I love the look of the glowing veneer. Here's a pic...this room, btw, is still under development, hence the bare walls. If anyone has any ideas for the wall, btw, I'm all ears. That's for another thread though.

Fungus - that looks fantastic!
Fungus - that looks fantastic!

how about this
...never known that there are so many design addicts out there :-). thank you all so far. how about this?

Thanks Nick. It took a lot of...
Thanks Nick. It took a lot of looking...we really liked the looks of some of the other lamps posted, but we didn't want more white in a space that already has too much white. I also like the look of the Fog & Morup Semi lights, but we were concerned that there was too much conical action going on.
Dennis, that's a nice one too...I don't think you can go wrong with a round lamp. Consider the size you want hanging over that table.
fm

all of 'em are real nice
I'm less crazy about the simple round shape with a simple round top table, but all of the above choices would be totally swell.
I suggest you go to ylightning.com, because they have a large collection of pendant ceiling choices and it's easy to see the lot.
You don't have to buy from them, but you'll get a heckaofa gallery

what about...
the Randon light from Moooi. I recently installed one at my place (the small in white).
I like the transparency of it, quite the size without being too intrusive. It really all depends on your space and the rest of the decor.

I was looking....
for an interesting thread and this one seems the least boring. One of th great qualities of the Saarinen table is that it will always enhance the qualities of anything you put in on it or hang above it. So all the previous suggestions result in more or less the same quality. Personally I would prefer something more "sculptural" that "architectural" but that's more a matter of personal taste and less of design. The most obvious choice would be Claus Bonderup and Torsten Thorup's 1967 design for Fogh & Morup, the so called "Semi" who mirrors the Saarinen base.

Sorry
I hoped to be able to copy the link to the DA design index picture but...
here is the link
http://www.designaddict.com/design_index/index.cfm/fuseaction/designer_s...

As life is better with pictures..
Here is a link to that Random light from Moooi
http://www.designaddict.com/design_index/index.cfm?fuseaction=designer_s...

ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230188362400&ssPageNa...

Yes, we have light!!
Hi all,
I had posted a similar message last month re: what type of light to put above my Saarinen table and tulip chairs, and I was thrilled with all of your suggestions. I have been living in the Home Depot Zone for way too long. Actually, even the regular lamp stores had plain old uninteresting fixtures, which was why everytime I was overseas, I couldn't get enough of furniture and lighting stores. I decided on a Poulsen PH5 in white. Originally I planned on purchasing it from DWR when they had their 10% sale and found out I had to wait until January for delivery!!! Searched on line and found Y-Lighting, and even without the 10% DWR discount there was a +/- $2 difference in price and I was able to get delivery within days.
The lamp was installed today and it lookes fantastic! Just perfect for the space and table!! Only had a 75w bulb at first and we all stared amazingly at the blue and red reflection on the white, plus the light was flickering. My electician was convinced that an American flag would be spotlighted on the table! Went out and got a 200w (a little brighter than I would like, but dimmed it a bit) and it is truely beautiful!! I thank you all for your help. This forum is very enlightning!
I have mentioned before that I feel I am trying to recapture my youth with my love for mid-century modern design. I never relized how little I knew of past designers and how much what I love was really designed longer ago than I ever though - and how it all looks as if it was designed yesterday! My electrician was shocked when I told him the history of my PH5 design!!
Than you all again,
I missed WAY to much in my art classes when I was younger. You have all be teaching me so much, and I am open, learning and researching more about design everyday.
~Elle