This lovely chair is SINGLE and ready to MINGLE!!!! Mingle its way right into your heart… and home!!! LOL!! This is a FABULOUS Tulip chair by Burke comprised of a white fiberglass shell mounted on a white painted metal swivel shaft with a four-prong base and loose seat pad wearing a beautiful black hopsacking fabric. It is made and labeled by Burke Inc. in the style of Saarinen’s famed tulip fiberglass shell chairs. Burke modeled their fiberglass chairs after Saarinen’s tulip chair and Eames fiberglass shell chairs as a more affordable option for the masses. But they made them with changes and enhancements that have made them become collectable in their own right. Kind of a second cousin of sorts with lots of style and sass. It will be great in your bedroom dressing area, at a vanity or desk, in your sitting room next to an accent table, or maybe at the entry for a marvelous spot to sit and remove your shoes. And, whether you have a mid-century modern home, an industrial loft, a Modern setting, or any style in between… it will look fabulous anywhere you decide.
Maurice Burke was born in the UK in 1921. He served in World War II with the Canadian Army and after in the early 1950’s he relocated his family to California where he settled in as a furniture salesman for Herman Miller and would go on to work for Felmore, a largely traditional wooden furniture business in 1952. That did not work out, so he relocated his family to Dallas, Texas and began his own venture he called Burke Inc. Initially serving as manufacturer and designer for the first iteration of pedestal chairs. By 1959 Burke Inc. had a strong established itself as a progressive name in the furniture industry, however, success soon led to conflict with Knoll manufacturers of Eero Saarinen’s Tulip chair eventually leading to court and a copyright infringement. They were forced to change the design, however, that would come to benefit Burke and his company with the redesigned “Star” collection some would argue was a better alternative to Knoll’s. For the next four years Burke Inc grew rapidly with showrooms in every major city in North America filled exclusively with their products selling both to private customers and commercial. Burke Inc. had a steady success until to the surprise of many Maurice Burke sold Burke Inc. to Brunswick. To those who knew him, Maurice Burke was known to never stay too long in one place. He took this as an opportunity to detach himself from the industry and relocated his family to the UK and later they settled in Switzerland. Mr. Burke passed away in 2013.
This SPECTACULAR Tulip chair bears an iconic reputation and a timeless style you are sure to love for years to come. Don’t let this one get away!! Make it YOURS!!!!
