“A classic is something that, every time you look at it, is accepted as it is, without any means of improving.” (Warren Platner)
Warren Platner was born in Baltimore on June 18, 1919, and is one of the exponents of American Modernism of the 1960s . After graduating in architecture from Cornell University, he trained in the legendary studio of Raymond Loewy and later in that of Eero Saarinen. From 60 to 1965, he participated in the design of airports, theaters, and dormitories for Yale University, and established his first relationships with Knoll, the company that brought him worldwide success.
In 1965, he founded Warren Platner Associates in Connecticut, a firm composed of a team of qualified architects capable of managing projects from various perspectives, from the interior planning of domestic and commercial spaces to the architecture of skyscrapers and the design of furniture, lamps and fabrics.
The studio's projects include the New York showroom of Scandinavian furniture and lighting retailer Georg Jensen , the interior design of the Ford Foundation, and the “Windows on the World” restaurant on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center, designed as a large ocean liner.
Warren Platner, The American Restaurant, Kansas City, 1974
Warren Platner, Windows on the World, World Trade Center, New York, 1976
In the 60s he began working closely with the Knoll production team to develop his most famous collection, known as the “Platner Collection” , presented to the public in 1966. Chairs , tables , armchairs and stools made with more than one hundred metal rods for each piece, which required great skill in working them and more than a thousand hand-welded joints.
Given the complexity of the creation, the designer not only dedicates himself to the design, but also intervenes in the production and assembly of the bars that act simultaneously as structure and ornament.
Warren Platner, Platner Collection, Knoll, 1966
The result is a sculptural and elegant collection that still feels utterly contemporary today. Platner creates something completely different from his modernist colleagues, choosing not to reject ornamentation but to interpret it with a minimalist approach, creating a modern furniture classic in the history of design.
Warren Platner, Platner Collection, Knoll, 1966
Warren Platner, Platner Collection, Knoll, 1966
The collaboration with Knoll continued and in 1973 the Platner executive office collection was presented , which included tables , containers and other accessories designed for a new concept of the office, rendered with warm colours and enveloping finishes.
The desire to create discreet, efficient, and flexible spaces was absolutely cutting-edge for the period, as were custom-made furniture designed to eliminate unnecessary movement, ergonomic desks with integrated phones, and document compartments.
He received the Roma Prize in 1955 for his contribution to architecture and was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Interior Design magazine in 1985. He worked in his own studio, dedicating himself to interior design and architecture, until his death in 2006.
Warren Platner, Platner Executive Office Collection, Knoll, 1973
Warren Platner, Platner Executive Office Collection, Knoll, 1973 ph Mass Modern Design
