Florence Knoll

Florence Knoll a Michigan born architect trained at Cranbroook Academy of Art, the Architectural Association in London and at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she was a student of Mies van der Rohe. In 1946 she married Hans Knoll and worked along side him in his business as a space planner and designer. It was understood that Knoll Associates business would focus specifically on modern designer furniture, but they added to this the Bauhaus philosophy that they would exclusively make products that "represented design excellence, technological innovation and mass production."

There aren’t many teenagers who could design a house, complete in every architectural detail, but Florence Knoll did – aged just 14. Small wonder then, that Knoll went on to be one of the leading designers of her generation, blending architecture with designer furniture and space design, and creating iconic pieces such as the retro furniture Florence Knoll Sofa series.

Trained as an architect and designer, Knoll created practical, yet beautiful furniture and interiors that transformed the way living and work spaces are now perceived. Knoll believed in total, holistic design, and considered all aspects of a space when creating interiors: architecture, interior design and retro furniture design.

Her 'total' approach led Knoll to create clear, uncluttered corporate spaces in the 1950s that revolutionised the way workplaces were arranged. To these spaces she added functional, minimalist designer furniture, such as the Florence Knoll Sofa, which combined usability, space-saving functionality, comfort and style.

Knoll's design genius was spotted early in life, when as an attendee of Kingswood School – part of the famous Cranbrook Academy of Art – she became the protégé of school president and Finnish Architect, Eliel Saarinen. Under his tutelage, Florence learned the holistic approach to design that would become the backbone of her space and designer furniture creations.