Knoll Archives - smow Blog

Aug

13

2023

Switzerland

A Confoederatio; A Range; A Context

Jun

03

2022

Knoll

A Wilhelm; A Walter; A Willy; A Hans; A Florence; A Lineage

Jun

22

2020

“It’s not possible to define a style in my work”¹, opined once the Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti.

With the exhibition Gae Aulenti: A Creative Universe, the Vitra Design Museum Schaudepot don’t contradict that opinion, but do provide for a framework for considerations on its validity……

May

17

2020

On May 17th 1955 Charles Eames^*, as assignor to the Herman Miller Furniture Company, was granted US patent 2,708,476 for a “Furniture Frame Construction”, specifically for, “a skeleton type metal furniture frame or shell construction” formed from “a plurality of lengths of wire arranged in crossed relation with another plurality of lengths of wire and welded thereto at their intersection…”¹

A patent which although important and interesting in itself, is and was in many regards just as important and interesting for developments that arose on account of it. And for what its (hi)story can teach us about the work of Charles and Ray Eames……..

Apr

21

2020

Throughout his numerous lives and careers Isamu Noguchi practised as an artist, set designer, garden designer, furniture designer, lighting designer, etc…. yet through all incarnations he remained one thing: a sculptor.

Isamu Noguchi’s most popularly known work is inarguably his Akari lamps, yet before Akari there came a lamp which in many regards exists more in context of the man and his art than its more famous relations…..

Jun

23

2017

With the exhibition Panorama. A History of Modern Design in Belgium, the ADAM, Brussels Design Museum present an exploration of design in Belgium from the 1880s until the 1980s: and in doing so not only explain the development of design in Belgium, but provide for new understandings of that development.

May

24

2017

Dear Judge Tessin:

I will herewith express our delight to have Florence with us this summer. I am sure that it will be good for her to see a little more of the world. We are going to Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and Holland. We will take good care of her.

Most sincerely yours,

Eliel Saarinen¹

And take good care of Florence, Eliel Saarinen did: so much so that she advanced to become one of the most important protagonists in the development of post-war furniture, textile and interior design.

Jul

22

2016

Although Stuttgart based design studio Jehs+Laub are in many respects best known as the winners of the inaugural Moormann Bookinist

Jun

16

2016

At the risk of getting political, the term “neoconservative”/”neocon” hasn’t always had the best reputation, especially not in Europe where

Apr

10

2016

Vis-a-vis by Glen Oliver Löw & Antonio Citterio for Vitra

Born in Leverkusen Glen Oliver Löw initially studied Industrial Design at the University of Wuppertal before moving to Milan in

Jun

02

2015

The 360° Stool by Konstantin Grcic for Magis (2009) and the Nelson Perch by George Nelson through Vitra (1964)

On March 10th 2015 a jury at the Central District Court of California in Los Angeles concluded that Pharrell Williams

Apr

20

2015

Clown optic - Not good. Textile - very good.

Upon seeing Rui Alves’s Bridge armchair prototype at IMM Cologne 2015 we commented on the unfamiliar, and for us not

Mar

10

2015

“I am rather silent, resolute and industrious. I can use any tool or machinery with dexterity.” So described a 21

Jan

19

2015

Following on from system design at the MAKK and the more autonomous product design featured at Objects in Between, we

May

19

2014

Barcelona Chair Mies van der Rohe Sergius Ruegenberg Knoll International

“The design is not the result of any especially deep consideration, but much more of random form finding through sketching.”1

Mar

20

2014

Playboy Architecture 1953 1979 Deutsches Architekturmuseum Frankfurt am Main

It is a universally acknowledged fact that men only buy Playboy to read the articles. And we only visited the

Dec

30

2013

Those still looking for a New Year’s Resolution could do worse than to promise to try to maybe visit more

Dec

27

2013

The biggest April fool is…. us, for always going to Milan! That said, as ever, we did find a few

Apr

16

2013

During Milan Design Week 2013 Knoll formally launched the “Tools for Life” collection from Dutch architecture practice OMA, a collection

Jun

01

2012

Marcel Breuer design and architecture Bauhaus dessau aula

Much as Gerrit Rietveld‘s career is publicly reduced down to the Rood-blauwe stoel, so too is it all to easy

Dec

08

2011

As many of you know we don’t do trends. Never have. Never will. But others do. And back in 1964

Jul

05

2011

Luddites! Not a phrase normally associated with (smow) To the best of our knowledge no (smow)employee has ever smashed an

Aug

19

2010

August 20th marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Finnish architect/designer Eero Saarinen. Eero Saarinen had – in all

Aug

18

2010

Time was when social networking for businesses meant cocktail parties, tennis clubs and the Freemasons. Time Was. However Time Is

Jul

27

2010

A recurrent theme, not only here in the (smow)blog but also in general throughout the (smow) global network is the

Category: Knoll

Switzerland