The centenary of the Bauhaus – the German school of arts founded by architect Walter Gropius – comes on the heels of the 80th Anniversary of Knoll. In East Coast Home Design + Décor’s inaugural 2019 issue, the publication spotlights the company’s ties to the legendary design institution and how the milestone anniversary embodies, “the vision of Knoll founders, Hans and Florence Knoll, to bring the beauty, functionality and benefits of modern design to the way we live and work.”
East Coast Home Design + Décor, which circulates in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, emphasized the enduring influence the ideals shared by the Bauhaus and Florence Knoll. Mentored by Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Florence Knoll integrated Mies’ notion of totality in her design philosophy and later corporate architectural work with the Knoll Planning Unit. “In this sense, the company is founded upon the idea that furniture design is only valuable insofar as it contributes to and speaks to the overall design of a space,” writes the publication. Florence’s contributions to American Modernism, “set a precedent for design that is holistic rather than object-focused.”
The publication also highlights Knoll designers with Bauhaus affiliations – Marcel Breuer, Mies van der Rohe and Anni Albers – as well as their recently reimagined products: the Wassily Chair in Gold and the Four Seasons Barstool in Antique Bronze.