The "Tulip"

The "Tulip" was created in 1957 in both side chair and armchair form. This was the first molded pedestal chair. The "Tulip" has a fibreglass body mounted on a cast-aluminum base. Saarinen was the son of Eliel Saarinen who founded the Cranbrook Academy. He worked with Charles Eames in 1940 to produce furniture which built on earlier designs by Alvar Aalto. The "Tulip" has become a classic which emphasized unadorned simplicity and reliance on new materials. It moved away from the angularity of Bauhaus and is a true descendant of the International style. The "Swan" furniture was manufactured by Knoll Associates.

Many of the Saarinen-designed chairs and tables were disposed of in a garage sale held by Lady Eaton College Cabinet in the early 1980s. One example was located in a janitor's closet to be included in the Trent University 25th anniversary display in 1989. It is now temporarily preserved at Trent University Archives.