Womb Chair

Imagine a chair you could really nestle into; that felt like you were sinking into a basket full of pillows. Well, it already exists, and it’s called the Womb Chair. Designed by mid-century mastermind Eero Saarinen to be just that—the Womb Chair mimics the cosseting of, well, a womb. Always given to experimentation, Saarinen wanted to investigate how comfort could be defined by the shape of a chair, and not necessarily by overstuffed cushioning—as in the case of most armchairs of the time. Taking his cues from fibreglass boat building, he decided to use a material previously unheard of. In a feat of remarkable engineering, the shell of this chair is in fibreglass, moulded over with foam, and flawlessly supported by splayed steel rod legs. The enveloping sculptural expression of the Womb Chair continues to be one of the most recognized representations of Saarinen’s legacy and the organic modernism movement.