No Compromise
Florence Knoll (1917–2019) was a leading force of modern design. Sheworked from 1945 to 1965 at Knoll Associates, first as business partnerwith her husband Hans Knoll, later as president after his death, and,finally, as design director. Her commissions became hallmarks of themodern era, including the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe, theDiamond Chair by Harry Bertoia, and the Platner Collection by WarrenPlatner. A designer in her own right, she created classics like theParallel Bar Collection, which is still in production today.
Herbiggest influence came through her groundbreaking interiors and thecreation of the acclaimed "Knoll look." She invigorated the dry,rational modernist International Style through humanizing textiles,lighting, and accessories, inventing the visual language of the modernoffice that remains a standard for interior design today. AlthoughKnoll's motto was "no compromise, ever," as a woman in a White,upper-middle-class, male-dominated environment, she often had to makeaccommodations to gain respect from her colleagues, clients, andcollaborators. No Compromise looks at Knoll's extraordinary career in close-up, from her student days to her professional accomplishments.
Herbiggest influence came through her groundbreaking interiors and thecreation of the acclaimed "Knoll look." She invigorated the dry,rational modernist International Style through humanizing textiles,lighting, and accessories, inventing the visual language of the modernoffice that remains a standard for interior design today. AlthoughKnoll's motto was "no compromise, ever," as a woman in a White,upper-middle-class, male-dominated environment, she often had to makeaccommodations to gain respect from her colleagues, clients, andcollaborators. No Compromise looks at Knoll's extraordinary career in close-up, from her student days to her professional accomplishments.