Book: Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010

With works by an illustrious roll call of designers such as Jens Risom, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen and Harry Bertoia lining its archives, Knoll has long been known as one of the great furniture manufacturing pioneers of postwar America. What few are aware of, however, is the profound impact the textile arm of the company had on the industry. Using what little material options were available in the early 1940s, Hans Knoll and his wife Florence blazed a trail with an approach that combined innovative designs with the latest technologies.
Founded in 1947, the aim of the textiles division was to provide chintz-free fabric solutions for the growing needs of Knoll's modern interiors range, focusing on colour and texture as key elements. In its early days, it used a mixture of leading textile names and fledgling designers. The division quickly began to thrive, and in the 1970s and 80s, it turned to fashion designers and architects to boost the brand.
Textile development tends to be seen as part of a bigger design history within the industry, and 'Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010' is first comprehensive book to delve beyond the surface at the company. Here, the many ideas, production techniques and textile designers that made up the brand sit alongside the context with which fabrics contribute to the history of design and the decorative arts.
Published in association with the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture, New York, the book is edited by Earl Martin, with essays by Paul Makovsky, Bobbye Tigerman, Angela Völker and Susan Ward making for insightful reading. Visually, it's a winner too. Beautifully designed by graphic maestro Irma Boom, the blending of Knoll's textile story with page-turning layouts makes the brand's works practically pop out of the page, putting it head and shoulders above your standard reference book.
'Devil' samples designed by Mariannne Strengell Hammarström, introduced in 1947 Courtesy: KnollTextiles archive
'Rivington samples' designed by Dorothy Cosonas, introduced in 2007
'Saran' ('Red and White stripe' colourway, P2) on Model 666UAC armchair, 1948
Florence Knoll, 1957
Courtesy: Knoll Archives
Cover for reprint of 'Knoll, Chicago: New Tune in the Same Key' interiors by Herbert Matter, Feburary 1954
Advertisement for Knoll Associates, designed by Herbert Matter, 1965
Advertisement for Knoll Associates, designed by Herbert Matter, 1965
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
‘A beginning is a dialogue’: Simone Bellotti reveals a first glimpse of his vision for Jil Sander with an EP and music video
Titled ‘Wanderlust’, the music video and EP is a collaboration with Bochum Welt, signalling an esoteric start to Simone Bellotti’s tenure at the house before his runway debut later this year
-
Interni Venosta’s vases are made from laundry detergent bottles
Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci of Dimorestudio have conceived a series of expressive vases whose starting point is a humble plastic bottle
-
How an icon of Japanese Metabolist architecture took on a life of its own – even after its destruction
When Kishō Kurokawa designed the modular Nakagin Capsule Tower more than 50 years ago, he imagined it boarding ships and travelling the world. Now it has, thanks to a new show at MoMA
-
Kvadrat’s new ‘holy grail’ product by Peter Saville is inspired by spray-painted sheep
The new ‘Technicolour’ textile range celebrates Britain's craftsmanship, colourful sheep, and drizzly weather – and its designer would love it on a sofa
-
Liberty at 150: a history of the brand in 10 objects
Liberty is marking its 150th anniversary; to celebrate, we remember products and prints that helped make the department store the cultural touchpoint it is today
-
Masters of midcentury modern design and their creations spotlighted in new book
‘Mid-Century Modern Designers’ is a new book from Phaidon celebrating those who shaped the period and their notable creations, from furniture to objects
-
This Beirut design collective threads untold stories into upholstered antique furniture
Beirut-based Bokja opens a Notting Hill pop-up that's a temple to textiles, from upholstered furniture to embroidered cushions crafted by artisans (until 25 March 2025)
-
15 highlights from Heimtextil: spot the textile trends for 2025
We were at textile trade fair Heimtextil 2025 in Frankfurt last week – here are the trendsetters and names to know among innovative launches, from health-boosting lava fabric to sheets made of milk
-
Rooms with a view: a new book celebrates the Italian approach to interior design
Laura May Todd's survey of Italian interiors is the perfect antidote to January gloom, taking a look inside 50 distinctive Italian homes
-
Is Emeco's 'No Foam KNIT' a sustainable answer to synthetic upholstery textiles?
'Make more with less' is Emeco's guiding light. Now, the US furniture maker's new mono-material textile, the 'No Foam KNIT', may offer a sustainable solution to upholstery materials
-
Hella Jongerius’ ‘Angry Animals’ take a humorous and poignant bite out of the climate crisis
At Salon 94 Design in New York, Hella Jongerius presents animal ceramics, ‘Bead Tables’ and experimental ‘Textile Studies’ – three series that challenge traditional ideas about function, craft, and narrative