Warren Platner footstools

American architect and interior designer Warren Platner was born in 1919 in Baltimore, USA. During his career, Platner would become famous for several prominent interiors in New York, such as the offices in the Ford Foundation building and the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center. However, he is perhaps best known for the furniture he designed, which since the 1960s has been an integral part of the design icons of the last century.

Warren Platner graduates from Cornell University in 1941 with a degree in architecture. After graduation, he worked for several famous architects such as Raymond Loewy, Eero Saarinen and I.M. Pei. In the mid-60s, he was commissioned to produce a furniture collection for Knoll International. The collection of chairs, armchairs, stools and tables was launched in 1966. All furniture is characterized by its construction consisting of several bent and welded steel bars, which generate a moaré effect. The production of this furniture was complicated as the sculptural bases in some cases required more than a thousand welds.

Since its launch, the series has been in production, a testament to its popularity and the ever-increasing interest among collectors of mid-century modern design. The furniture is now known as design classics, which Platner himself defines as: "being, something that every time you look at it, you accept it as it is and you see no way of improving it.".

Warren Platner worked actively in his own company right up to the end, when he fell ill at the age of 86 and died on April 17, 2006.