What is a tulip table?

A tulip table is a dining table or occasional table of a certain shape. It’s typically characterized by a slender stem-like pedestal base and a round tabletop. Its name is drawn from the name given to chairs that are part of a collection that Finnish-American designer and architect Eero Saarinen created for iconic mid-century furniture manufacturer Knoll during the 1950s.

The tables in Saarinen’s acclaimed series were called Pedestal tables, while the chairs were called Tulip chairs, armless or not, owing to their flower bulb-like shape. Today, design lovers everywhere frequently refer to Saarinen's Pedestal tables as tulip tables, and any table that looks like a Pedestal table is generally referred to as a tulip table, whether or not Saarinen had anything to do with it.

Find vintage Eero Saarinen tables on 1stDibs.