Or alternately, a sad tale of the ever-elusive Saarinen table.
I remember back in oh, say, ’05, when I was young and poor (still am), I saw a Saarinen repro table in thrift street Bangkal in Makati, of all places. It was being sold for P6k too. My rent then was much bigger than my salary (folly of my youth), so I had to pass it up. I’ve regretted that, even if I know there was no way I could have afforded it back then. Even repros have evaded me to this day—and besides, I can’t have this in plastic, what with (baby)cats and all.
Why is it called the Saarinen, you ask? That’s not really its actual name (over the decades it’s gained the monicker “Tulip”, for the obvious reason of its tulip-like leg shape). The iconic table is actually named after its Scandinavian designer, Eero Saarinen, who felt disgusted by what he called the “slum of legs” under cities of chairs and tables. So he did away with all the clutter and created this elegant, graceful, and sturdy pedestal table, and the world—and I—have never been the same.
It remains to be my Holy Grail.
So while the Saarinen table is not yet in my house, I shall live vicariously through the photos of Tulip-flaunting homes on Pinterest. Below are some of the more jaw-dropping ones I’ve seen.
Enjoyed all that? Check out my Pinterest board called Saarinen Roundup for more.
