Eero Saarinen’s Mid-Century Modern Womb Chair Celebrates 75 Years

In his book “No Place Like Utopia,” the the architect and writer Peter Blake said Eero Saarinen’s iconic Womb Chair was named when Blake’s wife was sitting in the chair while pregnant. A great story true or not, the stunning mid-century modern design is turning 75 this year. Hannah Martin, writing in Architectural Digest, has another take on how the chair got it’s name.  “Initially called the Series 70, the chair took on a new moniker when Saarinen wrote in 1949 that “‘a great number of people have never really felt comfortable and secure since they left the womb,'” she writes. “The piece, which Saarinen saw as a modern substitute for the overstuffed lounge, swiftly infiltrated homes, media, and public spaces.” Some may say it is has become cliché or too ubiquitous, but it remains a beautiful and contemporary design that is actually so comfortable that you never want to leave it.