Favourite Furniture Fridays: Eero Saarinen Tulip Table / IKEA Docksta table

 Take a look at this beauty:

via IKEA

Last Favourite Furniture Friday, I took a look back at the history of the iconic Eame's Lounge. I can certainly do the same of today's Furniture Favourite because the IKEA Docksta table is in fact a fairly obvious replica of the very famous Tulip Table designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. Although IKEA has achieved the table at a much more affordable price, Saarinen deserves full credit for this beauty. The Finnish American designer created an entire Tulip line around 1956. The modernist piece is still popular today, and the Knoll Tulip dining tables range in price from $1,800 to a whopping $14,000 depending on size and finishes. See Knoll's version below!

via Utility Design

 So, let me outline the obvious and not so obvious differences:
1. The 'stem', or table leg, is considerably narrower in the original Tulip Table. Also, you can also see two seams on the IKEA version's stem where it connects to the table top and the base. The original is seamless.
2. Table top material: The IKEA table top is made of fiberboard and acrylic paint, whereas the Knoll version is available in laminate with the option to upgrade to a marble top.
3. Table base material: The IKEA base is made of Reinforced Polyamide, the Knoll uses heavy cast molded aluminum.
4. While the Docksta comes standard, the Tulip Table comes in a variety of sizes, finishes, and shapes, including oval (like the photo below).

via Decor Pad

 But perhaps most importantly for the forever budget-minded like myself, the IKEA version amazingly retails at only $229.

I much prefer the price tag of the IKEA table, so its gets my vote! At 41 3/8" it's the perfect size for tighter spaces. It's also a multi-use piece. Check out the following examples of IKEA's Docksta in action:

via Decor Pad

^Perfect set up for working or dining. The neutral table pairs well with the bright bursts of colour, and the simplicity of the design allows its modern aesthetic to compliment, rather than contrast, with more traditional pieces.

^ Bachelorette Jillian Harris's living and dining space. See the Docksta table tucked in the back there? Well, okay, I'll admit that it might be an original Tulip Table, but the stem looks a bit thick in this photo. Either way, the table is the perfect size for Jillian's compact little eat-in kitchen. The entire space is to die for. Amazing taste!

So, who wants to go to IKEA with me? Any takers? Do you like this table?
Happy Friday! xo Tiffany Leigh