"I am not a decorator": Florence Knoll, the Knoll Planning Unit, and the making of the modern office
Date
2005
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The Knoll Planning Unit (1943-1965), the interior design service of Knoll Associates, was responsible for some of the most pioneering corporate interior designs of the postwar period. It was one of the first interior design firms to specialize in interiors for contemporary buildings and set the standard for modem office design. A brochure about the Planning Unit stated that it “grew out of a demand by private and architect-clients to provide interiors in which the concept embodied in the Knoll line of furniture and fabrics is carried to its logical conclusion: fusion of architectural space and its contents.” ☐ The Planning Unit was directed by the privileged and talented Florence Knoll. Trained as an architect, Knoll designed furniture, accessories, and interiors. Her self-fashioning as architect and interior designer, and resistance to the designations interior decorator and furniture designer, reflected her desire to be considered a professional rather than an enthusiast and alluded to the ways that she pushed against the gender stereotypes of these professional designations. ☐ Planning Unit offices were distinguished by a humanized modernism which combined spare form with sumptuous textures and conspicuous color. Offices resembled domestic living rooms in the choice and arrangement of furniture. They showcased the Knoll look, a recognizable combination of furniture, colors, fabrics, and decorative elements, which became the trademark of Knoll design and a symbol of the postwar office. Through a combination o f auspicious clients, astute promotion and publication, and skilled staff, the Planning Unit turned this corporate humanized modernism into a ubiquitous reality. ☐ The thesis traces the history of the Planning Unit from its founding by Florence Knoll in 1943 until her retirement in 1965. A methodological note discusses the motivation for writing about this woman designer and the issues raised in the project. The biographical sketch of Florence Knoll details the circuitous yet auspicious course of her education. The sections on the Planning Unit describe its history, working methods, and an analysis of the distinguishing elements of the Knoll look. The thesis concludes with a case study of the CBS skyscraper in New York and an assessment of the legacy of Florence Knoll.