Filed under: Your Home, Design, etc, News & Trends
Knoll's new book, released this month, would be the perfect addition to a mid-century coffee table. Photo: Knoll
Knoll. Designers and design-lovers know the name well. It may not ring as familiar to the everyday ear but chances are high that you've seen, sat on or perhaps even owned a Knoll piece in your lifetime.
For more than 70 years, this iconic furniture powerhouse has brought many notable names from the world of mid-century design to the masses. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona collection, Eero Saarinen's Tulip chair and tables and Harry Bertoia's wire chairs are merely a few examples of Knoll's vastly recognizable goods.
Knoll: A Modern Universe by Brian Lutz with a foreword by Reed Kroloff, a new book released this month celebrates the rich history of this seven-decades-old company, showcasing the many products and names for which the company is so well known (as well as those lesser known). Here's a sneak peak into this tome that's sure to become a coffee table classic.
The Barcelona Collection is likely one of Knoll's most highly recognized. Photo: Knoll
The Barcelona chair is likely one of the most recognized and replicated chairs in Knoll's history. The chair, designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his longtime partner, architect and designer Lilly Reich, was inspired by campaign and folding chairs of ancient times. Although the chair was exclusively designed for the German Pavilion at the Ibero-American Exposition, a world's fair held in Spain in 1929, it quickly infiltrated the design scene worldwide when Knoll began producing the collection in 1953. Unauthorized reproductions proliferate worldwide and are sold under different marketing names -- to spot the real thing look for Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's signature, which is stamped into each chair.
Bertoia's work with molded metal resulted in the fluid designs of his wire collection, including the popular Diamond chair (at right) and side chair (at left). Photo: Knoll
Harry Bertoia's first foray into the world of mid-century design wasn't what you'd expect - in the early 1940s, while running his own metal shop, he designed and crafted wedding rings for both Charles and Ray Eames (names that also would become synonymous for mid-century design).
Bertoia and the Eameses began working together providing technical work for airplane and medical equipment. But this Italian-born artist couldn't contain his creative genius for long. In 1950, after a few years of working under the guise of the Eameses, Bertoia moved to Pennsylvania to establish a studio and work with Hans and Florence Knoll. His now highly recognizable wire collection soon followed. In his own words, "If you look at these chairs, they are mainly made of air, like sculpture. Space passes right through them."
Knoll was a trailblazer in crafting stylish office furnishings. Photo: Knoll
Generation chair, a Knoll and Formway design collaboration in 2009
Knoll: A Modernist Universe isn't just a study of Knoll's furnishing history, it's a look at a furnishing evolution. This is particularly the case when it comes to Knoll's latest office furniture. In 2009 Knoll released its Generation chair, an intricately architectural design meant to (hopefully) perfect our nine-to-five seating position. Just as the award-winning chairs of Knoll's past raised expectations for innovative design, their current productions continue with the same principle.
Interested in modern and contemporary design? Check out these posts:
- Emeco teams up with Coca-Cola.
- Uhru Design's latest collection at BRKLYN DESIGNS.
- Timothy Oulten Brings British Design Stateside.