Knoll - Bertoia orange polypropylene chair

The anniversary edition of the Bertoia Side Chair with plastic shell is extremely comfortable and has a modern and colorful take that is perfect in any environment, from residential to contract.
To celebrate the centennial of the designer’s birth, at the Salone del Mobile 2015 the classic Side Chair will be presented in a new version with chromium-plated steel rod structure and a polypropylene seat in different colors, in a special “Anniversary Edition.” A modern, colorful take on an inimitable creation, faithfully replicating its unique, linear design, the new chair stands out for its extremely comfortable seat and its way of adapting to the widest range of contexts, from residential to contract. The stool is also available in this new version.

In 1950 Hans and Florence Knoll offered the sculptor Harry Bertoia a chance to freely apply his artistic concepts to the creation of a chair to include in their collection, still in its early phase. “We decided to let him work in total freedom, to avoid obstructing the creativity that already set him apart in the panorama of designers at the time,” Florence Knoll recalled. Bertoia, in constant pursuit of perfection, worked by hand, trying out many variations, with the aim of shaping space while utilizing a light, airy structure. Thanks to an almost artistic procedure, different seats were created, each with its own specific function: from the Side Chair and Stool for the dining area to the Diamond and Large Diamond armchairs, all the way to the lounge model, the Bird Chair, by way of the Asymmetric model. Each had its own natural and sculptural form. The Bertoia Collection (1952) is still available in a wide range of coverings, aptly suited to the innovative furnishings Harry Bertoia invented with such ability and artistic intelligence.

Harry Bertoia

Italian sculptor, university lecturer and furniture designer Harry Bertoia displayed a unique stroke of genius with his patented Diamond Chair for Knoll International in 1952. Bertoia was an inventor of form and an enricher of furniture design with his introduction of a new material: he turned industrial wire rods into a design icon. Educated at Detroit Technical High School, the Detroit School of Arts and Crafts and Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Bertoia taught metal crafts at Cranbrook. He worked with Charles Eames to develop his signature moulded plywood chairs. Eero Saarinen commissioned him to design a metal sculptured screen for the General Motors Technical Center in Detroit. His awards include the craftsmanship medal from the American Institute of Architects, as well as AIA's Gold Medal.

Knoll

Knoll uses modern design to connect people to their work, to their lives, to their world. Since 1938, it has been internationally recognized for creating furniture for work and residential environments.

For more than 80 years Knoll has remained true to the Bauhaus design philosophy that modern furniture should complement the architectural space. At Knoll, modern design has been the guiding principle and this passion has been shared by customers and design professionals around the world. The founders, Hans and Florence Knoll, embraced the creative genius of the time.  Supported schools were Bauhaus School and Cranbrook Academy of Art to create new types of furniture and workplace environments.

Their approach, where craftsmanship joins technology through the use of design, sets the perspective and shapes the values that live today. 80 years of historical collaborations, with pioneering modernists and daring contemporary designers, define not only the past but the future through active, recent and future collaborations with Antenna Design, Don Chadwick, Formway Design, Jehs & Laub, Joseph D'Urso , David Adjaye and OMA.