Website on Saarinen

As many architects have grown up from a foundation of family architecture, so too has Saarinen been accustomed to the world of architecture and design from an early age due to his father's prestige in the architecture realm. Rejecting the norm of the time, Saarinen saw his clients as co-creators and wanted to push the boundaries of modernism, essentially challenging the status quo of his era. His willingness to experiment allowed him to be widely successful as an architect and designer of small sculpture pieces, particularly furniture. Like many of his contemporaries, he would have side projects in which he designed simplistic furniture in attempt to stretch the ideals of modernism. Architects don't just design buildings, but also clothes, furniture, kitchenware, etc. Famously quoted, Saarinen explains what architecture means to him: "The purpose of architecture is to shelter and enhance man's life on earth and to fulfill his belief in the nobility of his existence." In regards to Saarinen's architecture with client John Deere & Co., his view was to create office spaces that were flexible and efficient, much like his other work in his early career. Again implementing modern and innovative techniques, Saarinen used a non-typical aluminum siding for his project on the John Deere Financial Headquarters in Moline, IL. To create a simplistic style of symmetry, Saarinen used glass panels and mirrors to make it "seem as though both sides were really glass". Establishing the character of John Deere within its architecture, Saarinen used outdoors columns to convey a "connection to plantation houses" which in turn reflects the origin of agricultural practices in early America. ("Eero Saarinen." - Designer Bio. Design Within Reach. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. <http://www.dwr.com/category/designers/r-t/eero-saarinen.do>.)(Miller, Nory. "John Deere Financial Headquarters." GA Document 1 Feb. 1984: 78-81. Print.)