Saarinen Executive Style Armchair

Recognizing the importance of user comfort, Saarinen became the first to construct a chair shell from fiberglass, a pliable material that flexes in response to body weight.

Featured in nearly all Florence Knoll-designed interiors, the iconic chair, often referred to as “that chair with the hole in the back,” has been a staple of the Knoll portfolio for more than 60 years.

The Saarinen Executive Armchair remains one of his most popular designs, with a Federal Award for Industrial Design in 1969 to boast.

Saarinen regarded architecture as a discipline like the fine arts, and in particular, sculptures. He called himself a "form giver" and everything he designed, including the Executive Chair, has a strong sculptural quality.