Womb Chair

How many couches have you seen that look exactly like your dad’s blocky, old couch? Furniture can all seem to look the same. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it!

Enter the womb chair. The womb chair is an innovative piece of furniture in terms of both style and comfort!

Why is it called the womb chair?

The womb chair’s moniker is self-explanatory- the womb chair should make you feel like you are in the womb.

With its designers comparing it to a giant basket of pillows, the womb chair is perfect for anybody to sink inside. You can allow its warmth to float over you, and the chair will make you feel so much more comfortable- just like you are in the womb.

The womb chair’s all-enveloping comfort lends the chair its name, allowing you to sit in it in various comfortable positions. This includes curling up in it, which was entirely intended by its designer!

Who designed the womb chair?

The legendary Finnish-American architect and industrial designer Eero Saarinen designed the womb chair. Saarinen was a man of futuristic vision, with many of his legendary designs- such as 1955’s tulip chair- being considered the peak of aesthetic retrofuturism.

Eero Saarinen worked closely with the Knoll company. His family friends, Hans and Florence Knoll owned and operated the Knoll company.

The Knoll company took many of Eero Saarinen’s designs into production, though they mainly consisted of chairs- especially his well-known tulip chair design!

Except for his Grasshopper lounge chair model and its matching ottoman, all of his designs for Knoll were great financial successes, being lauded by both critics and average consumers. Even then, everything that Eero Saarinen designed was in production for at least twenty years!

For the womb chair, Florence Knoll challenged Eero Saarinen to create a chair that she could curl up in. She found the right candidate for the task, and between 1947 and 1948, Saarinen worked on designing one of his most iconic designs- the womb chair!

Eero Saarinen and Florence Knoll had to work with a boat maker to build the womb chair because of the fiberglass needed to manufacture it! Speaking of the womb chair’s fiberglass usage, you may want to know exactly why a fabric chair uses fiberglass. You will read why next!

What does it look like?

The womb chair is comprised of foam molded over a fiberglass shell, creating a single-piece form that perfectly facilitates a relaxed posture. This fiberglass shell is precisely why Eero Saarinen and Florence Knole required the services of a person who builds fiberglass boats; most furniture manufacturers did not have the equipment to handle it!

The Knoll company has upholstered the womb chair in a high-quality wool fabric that is super cozy, and the small square back cushion has the same cloth in its upholstery. This comfortable fabric helps the womb chair achieve its goal of feeling like a giant bucket of pillows, keeping the whole chair as soft as possible.

Many fabric colors are available depending on the type of upholstery used on the specific womb chair, ranging from a classy, muted gray or black to bright, vibrant oranges and reds reminiscent of the 1970s.

A thin, metal frame keeps the focus off the frame and on the sleek, eye-catching modernism of the womb chair while also adding in some bonus aesthetic color-matching due to the separately available frame finishes.

With so many fabric colors to choose from, the Knoll company makes your work easier by limiting frame finishes to three colors; gold, black, and polished chrome. These three colors go with every fabric color offered for the womb chair, preventing any color from clashing and helping your home look its best!

Womb chairs are also available with a matching ottoman, too! When ordered online, the womb chair and its ottoman will match fabric types and colors along with frame finishing. If you don’t want the ottoman, Knoll offers an ottoman-free variety so you don’t even have to worry about extra furniture.

If you find yourself in need of a larger chair while still matching the womb chair’s style, the Knoll company also offers the womb settee! Fit for two people, the womb settee offers that classic womb-styled, modernist look for the enjoyment of an even larger group.

Is it durable and practical in a modern home?

This is difficult to achieve, but the womb chair has both of these qualities! The Knoll company built the womb chair with robust, industrial materials, with its minimalist metal frame made of tubular steel.

This durability was part of the reason Eero Saarinen and Florence Knoll worked with a boat builder; they wanted the womb chair to be just as durable as the tank-like boats which ride the high seas.

Like many other pieces of furniture, manufacturers coat the womb chair’s fabric in a stain-repellent finish. Your regular household cleaning products will do just fine cleaning any messes off the womb chair.

When a customer considers its durability, it’s easy to believe that the womb chair is built perfectly for the modern home. It would take a particularly violent pet to damage it, and any stain from a child’s antics can be easily washed off! 

However, this durability and modernist style do come with a price tag. You may want to sit down in a non-womb chair when you hear about the price of the womb chair!

How much does a womb chair cost?

 Womb chairs start at $4300 at Knoll, the furniture company founded by the husband of the aforementioned Florence Knoll, Hans Knoll. 

 It may seem expensive for a chair, but thankfully payment plans are available through Affirm, with options including $152 per month for 36 months and up.

 The womb settee is available starting at $7458 from the same website, with similar payment plans available through Affirm.

If the ottoman of your beloved womb chair has somehow become broken, you can receive a new one from the Knoll company starting at $1415, and you can customize it to match your current womb chair as well!

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, you may find that the womb chair is a stylish and comfortable furniture option for your home. Engineered to be durable, the womb chair can handle any possible mishaps.

If you’re looking for a modern-styled chair that you can sink into, the womb chair may be your best option!