| Florence Knoll |
Article Index for Florence |
Website Links For Florence |
Information AboutFlorence Knoll |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FLORENCE KNOLL | |
| american furniture designers | |
| knoll, florence | |
| american architects | |
| people from saginaw, michigan | |
| cranbrook alumni | |
| 1917 births | |
| living people | |
|
Birthplace: USA While a student at the Kingswood School on the campus of the Cranbrook Educational Community in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Florence Knoll Bassett (neé Schust) became a protegée of Eero Saarinen. She studied architecture at Cranbrook, the Architectural Association in London and the Armour Institute (Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago). She worked briefly for Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and Wallace K. Harrison. In 1946, she became a full business and design partner and married Hans Knoll, after which they formed Knoll Associates. She was at once a champion of world-class architects and designers and an exceptional architect in her own right. As a pioneer of the Knoll Planning Unit, she revolutionized interior space planning. Her belief in "total design" – embracing architecture, manufacturing, interior design, textiles, graphics, advertising and presentation – and her application of design principles in solving space problems were radical departures from the standard practice in the 1950s, but were quickly adopted and remain widely used today. For her extraordinary contributions to architecture and design, Florence Knoll was accorded the National Endowment for the Arts' prestigious 2002 National Medal of Arts. Her work was influenced by some of the greatest designers of her day. Walter Gropius , Mies Van Der Rohe and Marcel Breuer all had a part in her architectural education, and her designs reflect the European aesthetic. Her American interpretation of Minimalist , rationalist design theories is clearly evident in Knoll's storage pieces. She mixed woods and metals to great effect and added Laminate s as they became popular. Dresser s and Desk s are all square in design but never lack for quality. Hanging Cabinet s have glass shelves, sliding doors and drop down fronts that can be used as bars. In the 1950's Florence Knoll's work was often displayed at the Museum Of Modern Art 's "Good Design" exhibits. Although Knoll did a great deal of residential work, the International Style she worked in was specially in successful corporate offices. Knoll's vision for the new office was clean and uncluttered, and the corporate boom of the 1960's provided the perfect opportunity for her to change the way people looked at work in their offices. Her open plan layouts created clean, uncluttered spaces a perfect venue for her furniture. Companies like H. J. Heinz , CBS , and Connecticut General Life Insurance all embraced this new way of organizing business space. |
|
|