Episode 49: Florence Knoll Bassett
At Knoll Associates, Florence also was in charge of Knoll Textiles. She started putting swatches of fabrics on small cards as a way for clients to see and feel the fabric they were choosing. She also took these swatches and would put them on design boards to give clients a better idea of how the space would look and feel. Today this is an industry standard, which was spearheaded by Florence. She also was at the head of the Knoll Planning Unit which took on large interior design projects and also designed the Knoll showrooms around the country. The idea of the Planning Unit was comprehensive design service: interiors, furniture, textiles, all in one place. In addition to their beautiful showrooms, the planning unit designed many corporate office spaces such as the General Motors Company Technical Center, the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, and the CBS Building in NYC. In 1955, Hans died in a car accident. Florence stepped up and took over all operations of Knoll for several years. In 1958, she married Harry Hood Bassett from Miami. In 1960, she stepped down as president of Knoll and continued to consult and work at the Planning Unit. In 1965, she decided to leave Knoll and the Planning Unit closed in 1971 after designing over 70 office interiors of major companies. Florence moved to Miami and did some design work over the years. Over the years she received many awards such as the AIA Gold Medal, in 1961, the Furniture Price from the American Institute of Interior Designers. In 1977, she got the Total Design Award from the American Society of Interior Designers. In 1979, she got an honorary doctorate of Fine Arts from Parsons. In 1985 she was inducted into the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame, and in 2002 she got the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Medal of Arts for her contributions to architecture and design, which is the highest award given to artists by the federal government. Florence died in January 2019 at the age of 101.
Caryatid: Zoe Chan
Zoe Chan is one half of the firm Chan and Eayrs started with her husband Merlin Eayrs. Zoe was born in London and she studied architecture. She really wanted to build an actual project during school so she bought a property in London and designed and built the whole thing while she was in school. She sold it once it was done and used the money to buy empty sites for future projects once she was done with school. Now with her husband Merlin, they continue to work in this way. Their firm has no true client because they buy a property and design and build the entire project and interiors down to the furniture and cutlery within the house. They live in the space while they do this to really understand the project and it’s potential. Then they sell the house with everything in it and move on to the next project.
Agora: Alicia Belton, FAIA and Lori Brown, FAIA
Congratulations to Alicia Belton and Lori Brown for being elevated to the AIA College of Fellows, an honor awarded to AIA members who have made significant contributions to the architecture profession. Alicia and Lori, thank you for all you do and pushing our profession forward!
https://www.aia.org/press-releases/6479668-aia-elevates-88-members-and-two-internatio
References
Araujo, Ana. No Compromise: The Work of Florence Knoll. Kindle ed., Princeton Architectural Press, 2021.
“Chan + Eayrs — Founders.” Chan + Eayrs, www.chanandeayrs.com/founders. Accessed 25 Jan. 2022.
“Florence Knoll Bassett.” Pioneering Women of American Architecture, Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/florence-knoll-bassett. Accessed 19 Jan. 2022.
Herring, Freya. “The Creative Couple Combining Architecture, Design, and Family.” Vogue Living, 10 Mar. 2019, www.vogue.com.au/vogue-living/interiors/the-creative-couple-combining-architecture-design-and-family/image-gallery/27f4b863264c8c81d5ee16a8e53cf9c1.
Makovsky, Paul. “Florence Knoll Bassett, Architect and Pioneer Of Modern Design, Dies At 101.” Contract Design, 15 Mar. 2019, www.contractdesign.com/practice/profiles/florence-knoll-bassett-architect-and-pioneer-of-modern-interior-design-dies-at-101.
McFadden, Robert. “Florence Knoll Bassett, 101, Designer of the Modern American Office, Dies.” The New York Times, 25 Jan. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/style/florence-knoll-bassett-dead.html.
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