Warren Platner Bronze Base Coffee Table w/Smoked Glass, 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Warren Platner (Designer),Knoll (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)Diameter: 42 in (106.68 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Original.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:
Warren Platner
Though vintage Warren Platner chairs, sofas and interiors are icons of mid-century modernism, the architect and furniture designer took his stylistic inspiration from as far back as 18th-century France, once saying about his seminal collection for Knoll that his design intent was to evoke “the kind of decorative, gentle, graceful kind of design that appeared in period style like Louis XV.”
Indeed, the marriage of modern sensibility and classical grace is a marker of Platner’s style across furnishings and interiors — both genres in which he left an enduring legacy.
Born in 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland, Platner studied architecture at Cornell before cutting his teeth working for design icons like Eero Saarinen and Kevin Roche, eventually serving as head of interior design in the latter’s office. In 1965, Platner opened his own office, in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he continued to hone his particular brand of graceful modernism.
Knoll released the Platner Collection of seating and tables in 1966. (Originally designed in 1962, the suite took nearly four years of development to bring to life.)
The decorative bent-metal-and-glass pieces — an armchair, a dining table and more — make certain nods to the trademarks of his former employers, but also to the shapes of historic European furniture. The sculptural elegance of his line recalls Saarinen’s iconic Tulip collection, which includes armchairs and dining tables, while his materiality aligns with Roche’s cutting-edge use of glass and metal for the headquarters of the Ford Foundation in New York.
Many of Platner’s Knoll pieces would go on to find homes in a certain fabled locale: the Windows on the World restaurant at the original World Trade Center, whose interiors Platner was tapped to outfit in the mid-1970s. Upon the opening of the restaurant in 1976, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger dubbed its style “sensuous modernism” — an apt tagline for Platner’s oeuvre as a whole.
Platner died in 2006 at the age of 86. His furniture is still produced by Knoll, and original examples — along with idiosyncratic custom works he created for interior design clients — are coveted by collectors today.
Find vintage Warren Platner furniture on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Chicago, IL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Warren Platner for Knoll Side/End Table, 1960By Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILWarren Platner for Knoll side/end table in chrome and glass 1960. Original.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Warren Platner for Knoll Steel and Carrara Marble Dining Table, 1960By Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILWarren Platner for Knoll Steel and Carrara Marble Dining Table, 1960. OriginalCategory
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble, Steel
- Warren Platner for Knoll Easy High Back Lounge Chair w/Ottoman, Model 1725By Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILEarly Production of the Warren Platner Easy Chair for Knoll High back Lounge Chair w/Ottoman, Model 1725. Newly reupholstered in gr...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet
- Maison Jansen Chrome and Brass X Base Coffee TableBy Maison JansenLocated in Chicago, ILMaison Jansen chrome and brass X base coffee table. Chrome frame with glass top and brass details.Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass, Chrome
- Knoll Black Granite and Stainless Steel Coffee Table, 1970By KnollLocated in Chicago, ILKnoll Black Granite and Stainless steel coffee table, 1970. Original.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGranite, Stainless Steel
- Mid-Century American Modern Walnut Coffee Table, 1960By T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Chicago, ILMid-century American modern walnut coffee table, 1960. Completely restored.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Warren Platner Coffee TableBy Warren PlatnerLocated in Chicago, ILCustom coffee table, architectural commissioned interior by Platner Studio, manufactured by Lehigh Leopold. Honed Luna Pearl granite top with bronze base.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGranite, Bronze
- Mid-Century Authentic Knoll Warren Platner Wire Glass Coffee TableBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Baltimore, MDA mid-century iconic, stunning, authentic original, vintage Platner circular wire glass coffee table designed by American architect and interior designer Warren Platner (1919-2006) ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Warren Platner for Knoll Coffee Table in Steel and GlassBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in Waalwijk, NLWarren Platner for Knoll, coffee table, steel, glass, United States, design ca. 1962 This iconic coffee table by Warren Platner is created by welding curved steel rods to circular...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Knoll Warren Platner Marble Coffee Table Vintage 1960s Nickel Plated CabinmodernBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Hyattsville, MDSome light age and oxidation to the nickel base. Unvarnished white stone top, extremely heavy, with classic knoll knife edge (underside bevel.) No label, but from very old and high-...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStone, Steel, Nickel
- Warren Platner for Knoll Vintage Glass Top Wire Base Cocktail Table Mid CenturyBy Knoll, Warren PlatnerLocated in North Miami, FLThis iconic authentic original Warren Platner chromed wire cocktail table was the original design and production from the 1950's. Knoll was the manufacturer. The original beveled 1/2...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Authentic Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table by Warren Platner for Knoll in BronzeBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn iconic classic circular cocktail table designed by Warren Platner for Knoll. It features a dark bronze wire base with round clear glass top. Very nice condition.Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBronze