Knoll Bench by Knoll
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Knoll® Bench As a pioneer of the Knoll Planning Unit, Florence Knoll created what she modestly called the “fill-in pieces that no one else wants to do.” Like so many of her groundbreaking designs that became gold standard for the industry, her signature bench is characterized by the objective perfectionism of the mid 20th century. Originally designed in the mid-1950's, the bench is the ideal complement to her eponymous lounge collection. Ideal in both formal and informal settings, including lobbies, reception areas, universities, museums and private homes. Knoll® Bench Features Bench: Upholstered seat attached to exposed metal frame. Heavy gauge steel in a polished chrome finish. Seat cushion is permanently attached to frame. Large bench consists of 2 separate 30” cushions. Frame only available in polished chrome. Glides:The lounge collection has chrome-plated adjustable glides used for leveling. Upholstery Seat suspension with No-Sag springs. Arm, seat and back cushions variable density foam. Seat and back covering is fully welted and tufted. Pieces upholstered in leather have matching buttons; pieces upholstered in fabric do not have buttons. Available in Mariner and Arno fabrics, or Volo leather. Dimensions: Knoll® Bench Knoll History  The Knoll Company was founded in 1938 in New York by furniture craftsman Hans Knoll, and is today a leading U.S. manufacturer of classic residential furniture as well as office chairs, files, storage and full office systems. In 1946, Knoll married designer Florence Schust, who had been trained as an architect, and who would ultimately be recognized as one of the most influential women in 20th century design. She played a key role in the company's development, championing the Bauhaus approach and recruiting some of its most famous luminaries (such as Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen and Marcel Breur), resulting in Knoll becoming the only authorized seller of some of the world’s most revered Mid-Century furniture designs. Beginning in the 1940s, Knoll pioneered the concept working directly with corporate clients and designing to meet their needs. In the ensuing decades, the company introduced tables to accommodate electronic technology, and office chairs with a fresh premise: rather than the sitter constantly adjusting the chair, the chair would adjust to the sitter! The result of this approach was a line of innovative office chairs combining ergonomic support with intuitive adaptability. In addition to acclaim as a design leader, Knoll is today also acknowledged for its sustainable, “green” environmental policies. In recognition of Knoll's contributions, the Louvre's Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris staged a 1972 exhibit devoted solely to the company's furniture. Knoll also currently has more than 40 pieces in the permanent Design Collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Florence Knoll “Almost all the really significant, early innovations in modern furniture design were carried out by architects” Florence Knoll studied architecture at the Cranbrook Academy of Art with Eero Saarinen and at IIT with Mies van der Rohe. In 1946, she married Hans Knoll and became a full business partner in his furniture design company. Heavily influenced by the Bauhaus school of design, she became a champion for the minimalist International Style philosophy of Form follows Function, and was responsible for bringing into the Knoll company such legendary Bauhaus designers as Eero Saarinen, Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, who created modern classics like the Tulip chair, the Barcelona chair, and the Wassily chair. She was the first to credit designers by name and pay them royalties. During the 1940s and 1950s, Florence Knoll was a trailblazer in the field of “total design,” and her applications of design principles revolutionized interior space planning for offices, personal workspaces, lobbies, hospitals, government halls, and dozens of other spaces previously given little attention. She believed that interiors should be designed rather than decorated. Her Open Plan vision for the new office was clean and uncluttered, and it changed the way people looked at work in their offices. The cool, angular and minimalist furniture designs of Florence Knoll herself are considered design classics (some of her pieces are displayed in the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum, the Louvre and the Smithsonian) and many remain in production today. Countless office lounges and conference rooms throughout the world today are distinctively Knoll-like, reflecting the influence of her elegant and functional designs. For her extraordinary contributions to architecture and design, Florence Knoll was accorded the National Endowment for the Arts' prestigious 2002 National Medal of Arts. |
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