# Clearing the Slum of Legs Beneath American Rooms by Eero Saarinen > “The undercarriage of chairs and tables in a typical interior makes an ugly, confusing, unrestful world. I wanted to clear up the slum of legs.” > **— Eero Saarinen**, *On the Pedestal Collection for Knoll, 1956–1957* ## Sources and Context - **Full quotation and context:** [The Story of Eero Saarinen’s Famous Tulip Chair — Dwell](https://www.dwell.com/article/the-story-of-eero-saarinens-famous-tulip-chair-35feab23) — Dwell quotes both sentences as Saarinen’s explanation of the Pedestal Collection he designed for Knoll; the sentences are separated in the article only by “he said.” The same article records a 1956 *Time* cover story in which he announced a collection to “clear up the slum of legs in the U.S. home,” and a shorter variant, “The underside of typical tables and chairs makes a confusing, unrestful world.” - **Manufacturer corroboration:** [Tulip Armless Chair — Knoll](https://www.knoll.com/design-plan/product/tulip-armless-chair-upholstered) — Knoll describes Saarinen’s five-year investigation into the “ugly, confusing, unrestful world” beneath chairs and tables and the “slum of legs” the Pedestal Collection was designed to eliminate. - **Wording note:** Saarinen’s phrasing survives in slightly different published forms; the poster follows Dwell’s full two-sentence version. No original page locator was available. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/American|American Collection]] - **American route:** [[american/American Aesthetic - Interior Design and Space Composition|Interior Design and Space Composition]] - **American route:** [[american/American Aesthetic - Architecture and Design|Architecture and Design]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Eero Saarinen|Eero Saarinen]] - [[wiki/Tulip Chair|Tulip Chair]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “The undercarriage of chairs and tables in a typical interior makes an ugly, confusing, unrestful world. I wanted to clear up the slum of legs.” — Eero Saarinen, On the Pedestal Collection for Knoll, 1956–1957 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-eero-saarinen-slum-of-legs ```