The Tulip chair was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1955 and 1956 for the Knoll company of New York City. It was designed primarily as a chair to match the complementary dining table. The chair has the smooth lines of modernism and was experimental with materials for its time. The chair is considered a classic of industrial design.

The chair is often considered "space age" for its futuristic use of curves and artificial materials. The design was popularized by its use on the original Star Trek television series.

In the late 1960's the Tulip chair played a highly visible role on the TV show "Star Trek", where they appeared on the bridge set of the "U.S.S. Enterprise", as well as throughout the rest of the ship. The bridge chairs were slightly modified Tulip chairs that featured plastic appliques attached to their back panels. After the show was cancelled most of the set furnishing were discarded into trash dumpsters. Fortunately, several of the show's bridge chairs were salvaged, and have become highly prized collectibles. An original bridge Tulip chair was offered during the Profiles in History Hollywood Auction #17, selling for $18,000.

Create your own futuristic look from prices from the past! We offer a stylish replica of this infamous side chair for $175 and the armchair for $189. We also carry a replica of the Tulip table in 35 or 47 inches starting at $495. The shipping and tax are free*!