Saarinen's Tulip Table: the Knoll original and its imitations
A cast-aluminium base, a marble top: the 1957 table against the imitations that wobble. The details that never lie.
1 MIN · 5 OBJECTS IDENTIFIEDEero Saarinen wanted to “clear up the slum of legs” under tables. His Tulip, 1957, produced by Knoll, did it with a single flared pedestal — which thousands of imitations try to redo, and worse.
The base, that's everything
The original is cast aluminium, Rilsan-lacquered, heavy, absolutely stable: you can lean on the edge of the top and nothing shifts. The imitations mould the base in plastic or hollow aluminium — the table wobbles, and the elbow test is unforgiving.
The top
Solid marble with edges softened underneath (the profile tapers towards the rim), or white laminate on the original versions. The copies set thin marble on an MDF core, or a resin faking the veining. Under the top, the Knoll edition is signed.
The prices
A round marble Knoll Tulip starts at around €3,000–5,000 new; vintage holds between €1,500 and €4,000 depending on the top. The imitations range from €300 to €900 — and give themselves away at the first lunch.
Spotted a Tulip? Scan it on Beyit: edition, top, market value.
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The pieces, at your budget.
Every piece mentioned, with its alternatives — from vintage to dupe.
Where to find Knoll
At the house itself, or at the retailer that stocks it.
Gallery
5 images
