Knoll Heaven at JFK
- A N E E R O S A A R I N E N D E S I G N E D A I R P O R T H O T E L -
Have you ever wanted to live like Don Draper in the "Mad Men" era during the sixties? It is possible today in the TWA Hotel at the John F. Kennedy airport in New York. An impressive environment designed by Eero Saarinen in 1962. The building was closed to switch to a larger terminal, but in 2019, the unused terminal has been reopened in all its glory as the TWA Hotel. A real comeback for the Saarinen design and the ultimate dream for the mid-century modern design lovers.
Even without taking the plane at JFK, this is the closest way to get to the Knoll design heaven!
The Saarinen Collection
In every detail of its design, the TWA Hotel honors Saarinen's aesthetic vocabulary. The interior, including the renowned Departures Hall, features the architect's groundbreaking designs for Knoll, all of which relate to the interior's organic design: the Pedestal Collection, Womb Chair and Executive Chair. Hotel guests and design enthusiasts can expect to experience the nostalgia of the jet age beneath the sweeping, elegant architecture.
Sleep like a baby
Each room (512 in total) features mid-century modern furnishings straight out of the set of Mad Men. There are Saarinen chairs and side tables, authentic Knoll furnishings, a vintage rotary phone, walnut for days, a full martini bar and Hollywood-style bathroom, all set against the backdrop of big windows of airplanes touching down or taking to the skies.
How on earth do you sleep while outside the engines roar almost constantly? Like a baby, according to the hotel. The windows are among the thickest in the world, with no less than seven glass panels, or almost 12 cm of glass. According to the hotel, only the windows of the American Embassy in London are thicker.
The Sunken Lounge
The Sunken Lounge is a cocktail bar set in Saarinen’s revamped airport seating area. Historically, it gets even cooler, as this was the same place crowds gathered to welcome the Beatles in 1965. Everything is red carpet and it’s peppered with Saarinen tulip tables—you’re going to love it.
Shop the look