Knoll, Inc.

Knoll is an American company that produces office furniture systems. The company has been recognized as a worldwide design leader. The company sells furniture for the home by design greats such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Harry Bertoia, Frank Gehry, Maya Lin and Eero Saarinen.

Florence "Shu" Knoll Bassett followed her husband as head of the company

A Knoll print ad from 1969 promoting Eero Saarinen's Pedestal chair

The company was founded in New York City in 1938 by Hans Knoll. Production facilities were moved to Pennsylvania in 1940. After the death of Hans in 1955 his wife Florence Knoll took over as head of the company. The company is headquartered in East Greenville, Pennsylvania and listed at the New York Stock Exchange.

Notable products

Many of the company's product are included in museum collections. [1]

In 1956 the company commisioned Eero Saarinen to design the Tulip chair for production.
In 1953 the company was accorded exclusive manufacturing and sales rights to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe furniture, including the Barcelona chair designed for the 1929 Barcelona Pavilion. [2]
The company holds production rights to the Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer.
In 1947 Knoll acquired exclusive US production rights of the Hardoy chair ("Buttefly chair") by Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy. Cheaper imitations flooded the market. Knoll took legal action in 1950, in the end losing theír claim of copyright infringement; the model was dropped in 1951.
The Domus chair by Ilmari Tapiovaara was produced between 1951-1957.

(Source: [5])

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