Design: David Adjaye for Knoll

DESIGNER: DAVID ADJAYE [GHANA]

[Image credits: Washington Corona Bronze Coffee Table – Knoll]

‘…unless I truly loved it, there was no point in my doing it’, words that formed part of a pitch that saw London-based architect David Adjaye turn his hand to furniture design, producing his first collection in collaboration with iconic American furniture and fabric brand, Knoll. Currently celebrating 75 years of pioneering design, to mark the occasion Knoll sought to persuade two of the world’s leading architects; British-Ghanaian David Adjaye, and Dutch-born Rem Koolhaus into taking a brief detour from their usual work of redrawing skylines and taking on a spot of product design. Why the need for persuasion? Both designers had initially expressed no desire to explore ‘designing a range of small-scale domestic objects’. That said, incoming round to the idea, these two collaborations have been deemed Knoll’s most important since a collaboration with renowned Canadian-American architect, Frank Gehry back in 1992.

[Image credits: Washington Corona Bronze Coffee Table – Knoll]

The brief was initially for a chair, one that would be iconic, yet highly functional, able to stand the test of time. Starting with plastic, the design was then die-cast in aluminium resulting in one chair with two different looks; the smooth-surfaced Washington Skin made from injection moulded nylon and the more sinewy Washington Skeleton in aluminium. Inspired by the experience to create more pieces, the Collection grew to include a Club Chair and Ottoman, a Side Table; and the Washington Corona Bronze Coffee Table, a low table formed of four bronze panels, and available in a limited edition of 75, a nod to Knoll’s milestone. The Collection earns its name ‘Washington’ from the fact that it was developed at the same that David was working on the design for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC; currently under construction. Following the official launch, the complete Washington Collection is on display from 2nd October until 31st October 2013 at the Knoll Shop, New York, with select pieces on sale both in-store and online. Following this the Collection will then be launched in Europe on the 14th November 2013, at Knoll’s London Showrooms.

  …unless I truly loved it, there was no point in my doing it..

[Image credits: Skin and Skeleton Chairs in: top Aluminum; bottom, Nylon – Knoll] 

Founded in 1938 by Hans Knoll, Knoll has a history of collaborating with pioneering designers and architects, a tradition that dates back to 1943 when architect and furniture designer Florence Schust joined the company. Many of Knoll’s industry-defining designs through the decades are still being produced today.  

Information sourced from:
http://howtospendit.ft.com/
www.dezeen.com 
www.knoll.com

Additional details:
Available from October 1st the Washington Collection priced from USD$300-USD$50000
For further information about David Adjaye visit: www.adjaye.com
For further information about Knoll visit: www.knoll.com

[Image credits: All images shown belong to Knoll, and if copied and used elsewhere must be credited accordingly]