No Compromise

Florence Knoll (1917-2019) was a leading force of modern design. She worked from 1945 to 1965 at Knoll Associates, first as business partner with her husband Hans Knoll, later as president after his death, and, finally, as design director. Her commissions became hallmarks of the modern era, including the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe, the Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia, and the Platner Collection by Warren Platner. A designer in her own right, she created classics like the Parallel Bar Collection, which is still in production today. Her biggest influence came through her groundbreaking interiors and the creation of the acclaimed "Knoll look." She invigorated the dry, rational modernist International Style through humanizing textiles, lighting, and accessories, inventing the visual language of the modern office that remains a standard for interior design today. Although Knoll's motto was "no compromise, ever," as a woman in a White, upper-middle-class, male-dominated environment, she often had to make accommodations to gain respect from her colleagues, clients, and collaborators. No Compromise looks at Knoll's extraordinary career in close-up, from her student days to her professional accomplishments.