‘I Am Not a Decorator’: Florence Knoll, the Knoll Planning Unit and the Making of the Modern Office
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
E-mail: tigerman{at}post.harvard.edu
 |
Abstract |
|---|
The Knoll Planning Unit (1943–71), the interior design service of Knoll Associates, was responsible for some of the most innovative corporate interior design of the post-war period. The Planning Unit was directed by Florence Knoll (born 1917), who trained as an architect and designed buildings, interiors, furniture and textiles over the course of her career. Florence Knoll was part of a movement to professionalize interior design in America and played a key role in defining the new field of interior design. The offices she designed for the Planning Unit were distinguished by a humanized modernism which combined spare form with rich textures and vivid colour. They showcased the Knoll look, a recognizable combination of furniture, colours and fabrics that became the trademark of Knoll design. Through a combination of prestigious clients, astute promotion and skilled staff, Florence Knoll and the Knoll Planning Unit turned this corporate humanized modernism into a ubiquitous reality.
Key Words: corporate interior design • interior design history • Knoll, Florence • Knoll look • Knoll Planning Unit • modernism, humanized