With its new 2022 collections, Knoll continues its creative journey in collaboration with leading contemporary talents.
The brand’s proposals interpret a new way of living in which different experiences and styles merge, outlining a harmonious and identity-based vision that dialogues perfectly with the catalog classics created by the great masters of the 20th century.
Amongst the new partnerships and renewed collaborations, the names of Antonio Citterio and Piero Lissoni stand out, two talents called upon to design collections capable of preserving the balance between modernity and tradition over time, always respecting the company’s historical heritage.
Klismos by Knoll designed by Antonio Citterio
The collaboration forged this year with Antonio Citterio is the origin of a collection that represents the expression of a contemporary language and, at the same time, contains a clear reference to tradition and classicism.
Special attention is paid to sustainability in the use of natural materials such as wood and marble, where aesthetic details of lightness and timeless elegance are combined with precise workmanship of high manufacturing standards, proposing a living universe under the banner of a contemporary lifestyle.
In describing the process of creating his collections, Antonio Citterio says, “I particularly like to tell the story of this product: it has in it the memory of both an icon of classical Greek culture, the “Klismos” (precisely ‘chair’ in ancient Greek) and, at the same time, of the chair designed by Robsjohn-Gibbings in the 1930s, a revival of Hellenic seating. My product, however, has a more dynamic form, with the wooden supporting components slender and lightened. The elements of this collection for Knoll such as armchairs, chaise longues, sofas, benches and tables then dialogue with other classic pieces from the company.”
Offered with an original combination of materials and dynamic shapes, the Klismos by Knoll family of chairs is made with seats and backs in natural cotton cord woven onto the oak frame or in the wood-backed variant, also available in natural color or black. Elegant optional leather cushions can be placed on the seat for better comfort.
A versatile sofa, free from conventional schemes, that develops the design of chair and armchair into a symmetrical, dynamic and at the same time welcoming form, reminiscent of that of the classic récamier. As in the chairs and armchairs, the sofa features a natural or black oak wood frame, and is fitted with removable cushions with covers in fabric or leather.
Also adding to the collection is the chaise longue, synonymous with formal elegance, which becomes a méridienne by means of a roller armrest that can be positioned freely, depending on the arrangement in the decor. The chaise longue’s roller headrest is bound to the oak wood frame with natural or black leather laces to match the wood finish.
Like the sofa, the chaise longue can have a natural or black oak wood frame, with a natural woven cotton rope backrest offered in natural or black finish. Ideal for furnishing a lounging area and sharing spaces, the entire seating family is a perfect match for the classics in the Knoll catalog.
Table Collection designed by Antonio Citterio
Completing the collection are a series of tables, coffee tables and consoles with generous dimensions and accurate proportions. The geometric simplicity combined with the linearity of the shapes of the different tops, rectangular and rounded, is accompanied by the essentiality of the metal structure that incorporates the ultimate expression of Mies van der Rohe’s thought, “Less is More.”
Tubular steel legs in black and metal variants, a double support structure, and large marble or black glass tops give the table the gentler idea of contemporary Art Deco.
The small tables, with their essential support structure and the three-lobed shape of the marble or black glass tops, are available in different heights and offer the possibility of composing different support solutions.
Panoramic sofa and coffee table designed by Piero Lissoni
The collaboration between Piero Lissoni and Knoll continues, under the banner of a holistic, sartorial approach, combined with an exceptional aesthetic sensibility, in which tradition and contemporary spirit merge masterfully.
A new multifunctional sofa with fluid lines that changes according to the space in which it is placed, while maintaining comfort and refinement. Panoramic Sofa stands out for its transforming soul; it can be a vis-à-vis seat, super chaise longue, island, bench, dormeuse and, of course, comfortable sofa.
Equipped with three movable backrests, with a simple gesture the backrests can be moved and repositioned for different uses – from sitting and lounging to conversation – on the tubular steel frame, painted in anthracite or gloss finish. Upholstery is available in fabric or leather. Finally, the cushions complete the collection, guaranteeing moments of absolute relaxation.
This is a calibrated interplay of symmetries and volumes, ideal for living areas in constant flux, able to transform according to the needs of the moment. Completing the collection are a symmetrical sofa module with smaller dimensions and Panoramic Low Table, a small table with a circular molded concrete top.
Matic sideboards and storage units designed by Piero Lissoni
Knoll enriches its offerings by expanding the Matic modular sofa collection designed by Piero Lissoni in 2020 with a family of Matic Open Storage, Matic Square Storage and Matic Credenzas cabinets and credenzas, which express a rigorous and, at the same time, essential aesthetic.
A compositional and versatile system that focuses on the material essence of the wooden structure and from the marble tops, intended for multiple uses
Dry and rigorous volumes combined with high-quality materials characterize the containers and sideboards designed on different possible configurations: a floor-standing container with four opposing drawers, an open floor-standing container surmounted by a mobile wooden tray and two sideboards with drawers.
A harmonious dialogue between form and materials, an outer structure is proposed for all elements in three colors, teal, charcoal and light grey, complemented by tops in Grey, Statuarietto or Marquina marble.
The open, floor-standing storage unit features an elegant sliding tray that can be moved as desired, offered in oak with a natural finish, which helps ensure both functionality and refined aesthetics. A collection of architecture combined with precise workmanship of a high technological and qualitative level, values that have always distinguished Knoll’s character.
“As Panoramic Sofa, Panoramic Low Table, Matic Open Storage, Matic Square Storage and Matic Credenzas took shape, I imagined them as presences in the same environment. The Panoramic Sofa of fluid form, endowed with friendly nature, marked by asymmetry: a being silently strolling on four legs,” Piero Lissoni remarks.
The others, super-architectural, pronouncedly pure, with a strong inclination toward rigor, are true lovers of exactitude. Diverse and daring identities, but inclined to elegance, autonomous, but able to live well together and, together, to create surprising effects. Pieces that seem to me to be consistent with a catalog like Knoll’s for which space is a kind of vertical horizontal city, a complex and ordered organism, capable of integrating very different parts,” says the designer, describing the new collections.