eero saarinen | Manhattan Home Design Reviews

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The Womb Chair and Ottoman – How to Expertly Use Them

January 27, 2023February 23, 2023 martinez

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. The Womb Chair and Ottoman, designed by Eero Saarinen in 1948, is a timeless piece of furniture that has stood the test of time. In this entry of Manhattan Home Design Reviews, we take a look at its unique and organic shape that adds a modern and sophisticated touch to any living room. When paired with the matching ottoman, it creates a comfortable and inviting space that is perfect for relaxing and entertaining.

To get a unique living room design using the Womb Chair and Ottoman, it is important to consider the overall style of the room. The Womb Chair and Ottoman have a mid-century modern look that works well with other pieces from the same era, such as the Eames Lounge Chair or the Noguchi Coffee Table. However, it can also be incorporated into a more contemporary space by pairing it with clean-lined furniture and neutral colors.

Different ways to use the Womb Chair and Ottoman

One way to make the Womb Chair and Ottoman stand out in a room is to use them as focal point. This can be achieved by positioning it in the center of the room or by placing it against a bold-colored accent wall. The chair’s unique shape and curved lines will draw the eye and make it the centerpiece of the room.

Another way to incorporate the Womb Chair and Ottoman into your living room design is to use it as a contrast to more traditional furniture. For example, pairing it with a classic leather sofa or a vintage armchair will create an exciting mix of old and new. This contrast can also be achieved by using different textures in the room, such as pairing the Womb Chair and Ottoman with a shaggy area rug or a plush throw pillow.

Colors and adaptability

When it comes to color, the Womb Chair and Ottoman are versatile and can be upholstered in a variety of fabrics and colors. The classic version is made of white or black fiberglass shell and comes with cushions in black or white leather or wool. To make the chair and ottoman stand out, consider choosing a bold color or patterned fabric. This will add a pop of color to the room and make the chair and ottoman the focal point.

When it comes to accessorizing the Womb Chair and Ottoman, less is more. A simple lamp or a small side table will be all you need to complete the look. A plant or vase of flowers can also be used to add a touch of nature to the room.

In summary, the Womb Chair and Ottoman are a timeless piece of furniture that can add a modern and sophisticated touch to any living room. To create a unique living room design using the Womb Chair and Ottoman, consider using it as a focal point, pairing it with traditional furniture, and choosing a bold color or patterned fabric. By following these tips, you can create a comfortable and inviting space that is perfect for relaxing and entertaining.

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Manhattan Home Design Reviews | Why Is The Womb Chair One of The Main Examples of Biomorphism?

January 11, 2023February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. Biomorphism is one of the oldest aesthetic and artistic trends in human history. However, it wasn’t known by that name until almost the middle of the twentieth century, when the British poet Geoffrey Grigson and later Alfred H. Barr coined it in 1936. Its concept is based on the design of physical objects whose characteristics emulate the structures and shapes of organisms present in nature. This makes it a very appealing trend as it has spawned a whole constellation of diverse designs that are part of this movement and have been making it popular over the decades. In this article from Manhattan Home Design Reviews, you’ll discover why the Womb Chair And Otto Red Cashmere, and other MCM designs are valid references to explain this aesthetic phenomenon.

Since the origin of humanity, the first men were inspired by the designs of nature to create their first objects, weapons, and crafts. Later, this would be a constant in almost all manifestations of design. It’s well known that even Leonardo Da Vinci used biomorphic designs as inspiration to develop the plans for his machines. Just as primitive men managed to get inspiration from these models, the great designers of the Mid-Century Modern style also managed to give these aesthetics to many of their most important creations, always taking the features of the organic as a source of inspiration.

With new MCM trends, the world quickly and easily got used to these aesthetics. Pieces like the Saarinen’s Womb Chair would arrive to transform in a very important and transcendental way the preconceived schemes that were had in terms of modern chair design. Some other pieces, such as the Noguchi table or the Shell Chair, would reinforce this trend of curved lines and smooth contours.

What Is Being “Biomorphic”?

In the case of the Eero Saarinen Womb Chair, it’s believed that the Finnish creator assigned that name to the piece as a way of alluding to the “womb” in which the user would feel being in such a cozy chair, capable of surrounding and cradling them completely.

Features such as aerodynamics, curved lines, asymmetrical silhouettes, a sensation of movement, and certain technical properties make a piece a biomorphic design. During the twentieth century, the trend gained so much recognition and acceptance that it even had a lot of importance in the world of means of transport, and planes and trains began to appear that took certain characteristics of birds and other species to develop faster and more aerodynamic machines. However, it’s important to clarify that biomorphism doesn’t necessarily consist in making exact copies of natural models, but rather taking inspiration from their forms to take advantage of the properties they can provide. Some biomorphic objects are thought and made solely for decorative purposes.

Some design analysts have associated biomorphism with some other trends such as surrealism. Some of these designs are noted for presenting proposals that suggest new ways of life and emulate those already known, giving them an atmosphere that contrasts in a very interesting way with the known world. Even in the world of painting, biomorphism has gained space for participation. Such is the case of Yves Tanguy and Roberto Matta, who presented this aesthetic in their paintings.

Imagine the advantages of filling your layout with many biomorphic designs. Marking originality and good taste is always something you can achieve in many ways, and this trend is an excellent starting point for it. Discover the interesting thing about biomorphism through the most amazing designs that have been created and give a new spirit to your compartments.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The Womb Chair: a Next Level Seat

April 28, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. It’s easy to talk about modern chairs when the main features that make these types of pieces be classified within that category have been identified. Modern chairs are very convenient products in many cases for important reasons: they have a design that doesn’t look outdated, they work well with all kinds of ornaments and fixtures that can compose an updated interior layout, and, in addition, as a general rule, they are objects with great functionality and aesthetic value. However, among the various modern designs, there are also iconic models, and in this edition of Manhattan Home Design Reviews, we’ll give our attention to the fantastic Womb Chair by Eero Saarinen.

First, it’s necessary to clarify that the most prominent iconic chairs are famous precisely for having somehow transcended some paradigm within their style. In that regard, the Saarinen Womb Chair is not just a chair: it’s a first-class seat in every sense of the word. The brilliant designer made sure that the piece was made of top-notch materials: it has a fiberglass frame with foam rubber lining, molded with every intention of giving the user maximum comfort and just the right amount of support.

The Perfect Support For Your Body

The piece’s structure contains ergonomic components that make it unnecessary to fill it with cushions. In addition, there’s a very valuable justification for why the designer thought that the chair should have an organically shaped seat: so that it would be flexible and thus be able to easily adapt to any type of posture that the user wanted to adopt while using it. The armrests are parallel to the floor, at a perfect height for the average adult’s body to rest on, something that virtually no modern sofa can provide with the same efficiency.

One of the secrets that make it so cozy is its pleasant wool upholstery, which also covers the small square cushion on the backrest. It’s important to emphasize that the concept of “uterus” is not a random idea or a merely allegorical image: quite the contrary, the name of the chair has to do, more than anything, with the biomorphic characteristics that allow the user to feel the sensation that they are “protected” inside a seat that reminds them of a baby’s bassinet, with its walls surrounding the body and sufficiently supporting in virtually any position they want to put their body in, even curled up.

Comfortable and Durable

The Womb chair also has a feature that only a few modern chairs boast: it’s a comfortable and durable piece at the same time. Not all modern chairs can offer you those qualities in addition to the iconic value that this design has. It’s a chair made to withstand intensive use, even in a home with children or pets. In addition, the vast majority of versions of the chair include a type of stain-resistant upholstery, so it should retain its aesthetic properties extremely well, removing the inevitable stains and traces of dirt with a water-based stain remover.

There is no doubt that Saarinen and Florence had a very specific vision when they decided to develop a high-quality chair. They consulted a boat builder to use industrial materials such as fiberglass and resin, and tubular steel for the legs. You only need to try it once to understand why it’s one of the chairs with the best reputation in history. The Womb chair and many other iconic models are available in the Manhattan Home Design catalog.