With their steel profiles, flush cabinetry and marble tops, the low-profile credenzas and elegant desks designed by Florence Knoll in 1961 revolutionised office design, consigning traditional clunky filing cabinets and heavy bureaux to the past. Sixty-five years later, a new collection by Sam Chermayeff for Knoll allows these classics out of the executive suite and into the home, where they have increasingly been put to use over the last decades.
‘If Florence Knoll was still around, she would’ve responded to the current climate by reshaping her own system to fit domestic needs. Back then, people didn’t put their socks in a Florence Knoll credenza, but she would’ve been like, “of course people do that now”,’ says Chermayeff, whose new ‘Knoll Chermayeff Storage’ collection includes a bookcase, bar cabinet, console, side table and coffee table.
Florence Knoll’s ‘2544’ credenza was inspired by her former mentor Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s minimalist principles, and Chermayeff has taken a similarly architectural approach to his debut collection for Knoll, pairing bold precision with various finishes that allow for personalisation.
The American-born, Berlin-based architect has a strong personal connection to Knoll: his father, Ivan Chermayeff, led Knoll’s rebranding and graphic standards in the early 1990s with Tom Geismar (and also designed the MoMA logo). ‘In my memory, there was a Florence Knoll credenza in my father’s office,’ he says. ‘I remember Massimo and Lella Vignelli also had one in their office/house. In both cases, I remember red things on top of them and flowers. My son will probably remember the toys in the new ones that we have.’
Chermayeff knew that a light touch was all that was needed to adapt Florence Knoll’s original modernist designs to our more flexible contemporary world. From the tall open shelving to the console tables with push-to-open drawers, each piece clearly belongs to the Florence Knoll lineage – an evolution, not a revolution. All are fully finished on all sides, with particular attention spent on their silhouettes, so the pieces are free to float and take centre stage in the room.
‘Back then, people didn’t put their socks in a Florence Knoll credenza, but she would’ve been like, “Of course people do that now”’
Sam Chermayeff
There are plenty of colours and finishes to choose from: the side table, for example, is available in five types of veneers, ranging from Ebonized ash to Oxford walnut, as well as deep red, green, and blue lacquers – plus seven different types of marble (either gloss- or satin-coated) for the tabletop. The bookcase is also available with clear class shelves, while the bar, which features a mirrored top half with glass rack, is particularly striking in Dark Red Ultra.
‘Florence Knoll was a genius in how she used materials,’ says Chermayeff. ‘I like to follow her way, and I think it's best when the top is lighter and the body is darker – but not too dark. In my mind, the most classic combination is chrome, maple veneer, and white marble. You get that feeling with many of the colours and light tops. But then there’s black stone, which really has something and is lovely to live with.
‘I love this system for being able to withstand a lot of different expressions,’ he continues. ‘It’s generous in that way, and even though I took it on a little walk, it’s still Florence’s thing.’
The ‘Knoll Chermayeff Storage’ collection will be available in the UK and EU in November 2026.
