A new breed of designers, the Modernists, rebelled against the concept of furniture that was merely decorative. Modernists created sleek, impersonal furniture that was designed to fit in many situations.
Technology was key for the Modernists. Followers of the Bauhaus School saw the machine as an extension of the hand. In fact, even though the early Bauhaus furniture was hand-made, it was designed to suggest industrial production.
Shown here is the "Tulip Chair" designed in 1956 by the Finnish-born architect, Eero Saarinen. Made of fiberglass-reinforced resin, the seat of the Tulip Chair rests on a single leg. View the patent sketches by Eero Saarinen.