Knoll Florence Knoll® Credenza - Four Position (Four Storage Cabinets) Style 1
Prior to the pioneering approach of Florence Knoll and the Knoll Planning Unit, executive offices in America were nearly all planned the same way.
Florence Knoll described this standard layout in her 1964 “Commercial Interiors" entry for the Encyclopedia Britannica: “In such an office there was always a diagonally-placed desk, with a table set parallel behind it, a few chairs scattered around the edge of the room, and a glassed in bookcase. The table behind the desk generally became an unsightly storage receptacle."
Seeking to create a space better suited to the executive’s primary function — communication — Florence reconsidered the illogical layout from an architectural perspective. She eliminated the imposing desk, replacing it with the more inviting table desk, placed parallel to the back wall. Storage was moved to behind the table in a low, matching credenza.
To execute this new layout, Florence introduced the 2544 Credenza in 1961. The elegant design exuded executive quality, and clearly exhibited Mies van der Rohe’s impact on Florence’s approach to design. Design historian Bobbye Tigerman notes that, “the furniture is architecture miniaturized…The structure of a large case balanced on thin peripheral columns recalls Mies’ Seagram Building." Like Mies, Florence Knoll would endlessly refine each detail of a design in order to achieve simple, seemingly effortless beauty.
Perfectly proportioned and immaculately detailed, the iconic Florence Knoll low credenza works as well in the dining room as it does in the office.
MEASUREMENTS:
- Width: 189.8 cm / 74.7 inch
- Depth: 45.7 cm / 18 inch
- Height: 64.7 cm / 25.5 inch
MATERIALS:
- Top available in marble and wood finishes
- Base in satin chrome or polished chrome
- Sides, back, drawer and door fronts are ebonized oak veneer
HELPFUL NOTES:
- Available with central locking system and key
- Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified®
Florence Knoll
USA, 1917
Born Florence Schust in 1917, and orphaned at age 12, Knoll began her architectural studies at the Kingswood School in Michigan and was virtually adopted by the family of Eliel Saarinen. She continued her studies at Cranbook Academy of Art, the Architectural Association in London, and the Illinois Institute of Technology under Mies van der Rohe, where she received her architectural degree. In 1946, she married Hans Knoll, owner of the Hans G. Knoll Furniture Company and the firm became known as Knoll Associates, Inc.
As an architect, interior space planner, and furniture designer, Florence Knoll defined the look and market for modern design in corporate America in the 1950s and made modern American design an international style. Her pioneering interiors profoundly influenced post-World War II design. Her reductive aesthetic of light, open spaces furnished with elegant woven fabrics, furniture grouped for informal conversation and brightly colored wall panels made Knoll one of the most influential design firms of the time.
Her notable planning projects for the firm included the interior design of the CBS, Seagrams, and Look magazine offices in New York City. After her husband’s death, Florence served as president and continued as design director of the company until 1965 when she resigned to pursue a career as a freelance designer.
Knoll has lived their guiding principle, "good design is good business," since 1938. Products are all created to inspire, fit, and last. The Bauhaus philosophy that furniture should complement, not compete with architecture, is central to Knoll’s design. Its extensive portfolio includes office work systems, residential mid-century modern classics, textiles, and accessories.
Designers like Harry Bertoia, Eero Saarinen, Warren Platner, Isamu Noguchi, and Florence Knoll contributed to Knoll’s iconic designs. Knoll invests in research and field studies and explores organizational behavior and technology to ensure quality excellence. As a leader in sustainability, Knoll’s practices reduce waste and conserve resources. Based in Pennsylvania, Knoll has a strong international presence, and 40 products are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
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