Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010
Coffee table books are great. They can make great conversation pieces and sometimes even contain useful and interesting information. Or pictures, who doesn’t love a coffee table book with great pictures?
What makes a book like this even better is when it’s about a great company like Knoll, or more specifically Knoll Textiles.
Knoll Textiles 1945-2010 was put together to celebrate “65 years of premium textile design”.
From CoolHunting.com:
“Reflecting the mid-century Modernist movement, Knoll Textiles prioritized color and texture as primary design elements, unlike any other company of the time. The book shows patterns created through the years in extreme detail, documented period by period. With insightful showroom, fabric swatch and furniture photographs, as well as sketches and illustrations, every page of this encyclopedia has something to teach the reader.”
For any mid-century modern fan in your life, or yourself, this book would make a great addition to your home library or maybe even your Florence Knoll Coffee Table (or other coffee table). Informative, graphic, and chock-full of interesting facts about Knoll and Knoll Textile designers both past and present.
(Original article from CoolHunting can be found HERE)
Designer spotlight: Warren Platner
Warren Platner (1919- 2006)
Birthplace: USA
Knoll Products: Platner dining, side table, stool, coffee table, and Platner lounge collection
Warren Platner studied architecture at Cornell University. Following his work with legendary designers Raymond Loewy, Eero Saarinen and I. M. Pei, he immersed himself in the creation of steel wire furniture, devising the method and tooling to produce the lounge chair in the line as well. Notable among his residential and commercial projects are the Georg Jensen Design Center and the Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center, both in New York City.
(image via Dwell, bio via Knoll)
Vastu from A to Z: M, N, O
‘M’ is for ‘Merge’
Wallpaper is back in a major way. If you’re thinking about using wallpaper in your space, consider Merge wallcovering from KnollTextiles. It is available in 8 different colors and is made of vinyl – so it’s really durable.
October ‘How Do You Vastu?’ Giveaway
How have you incorporated a Vastu purchase into your home? Upload a picture of your Vastu coffee table or side table to our Facebook page during the month of October for a chance to win a $50 AMEX gift card.
Congrats again to our September winner, Dan.
We can’t wait to see how you Vastu!
Congratulations to…
…Dan – our September ‘How Do You Vastu?’ $50 AMEX gift card winner!
We’re offering Vastu customers a chance to win a $50 AMEX card each month for the rest of 2010.
In the month of September we asked you to share pictures of your dining tables, now we want to see your coffee tables and side tables. If you’ve purchase a coffee table or side table from Vastu, take picture of it and upload it to our Facebook page sometime during the month of October for a chance to win the $50 AMEX gift card. Good luck!
Roses are red, Violettes are turquoise…
…or bordeaux, pistachio, light grey, black, dove grey, mink brown, red, dark brown, white or mustard. New to the Vastu showroom is the Violette table collection which includes side tables and cocktail tables. The table tops are available in 11 different colors of lacquered glass and the metal bases are available in a number of different finishes, including the polished chrome finish shown in the image above.
Come out and Play
The company behind some of our favorite cabinets and credenzas has introduced a new line called ‘Play’. The collection includes media pieces, sideboards, dressers, night tables and beds that incorporate “playful” angles and finishes. These pieces can be done in a gorgeous exotic wood species like macassar ebony or a fun lacquer. Here’s a look at some of the items from Play…
Interview with Peter Sandback
Concrete tables, huh? We adore them, but how did you decide to go into this line of business?I studied sculpture in school and found it a difficult way to make a living. I started by making concrete counters for a client that need cheap counters. I liked the material and soon started to make big heavy tables. My wife and I decided to move from San Francisco to rural New Hampshire to raise a family, so I had to figure out a way to make tables from concrete that could be easily shipped. That is when I worked out this process of casting a veneer of concrete around a lightweight core.
How long have you been doing this?
Almost 15 years
How long does each piece take to make? What is the process like?
I make 5 part molds for each piece. The concrete is poured into the mold and then vibrated. A big piece of foam is then carefully pushed down into the concrete while the whole thing vibrates. After the piece is dry, the mold is removed and the concrete is sanded and washed. It dries again and is then clear coated. If everything goes well it doesn’t take all that long, but it doesn’t always go well.
Welcome to Design Clique
Have feedback or ideas you'd like to share? Click here and let us know what's on your mind.
Share it with us and we will address it in one of our "Design Direction" posts.
