56 SARASOTA SCENE | MARCH 2018
The Knoll Platner Collection,
among others, is very popular
right now. Why is that?
Knoll’s most successful designers
are Eero Saarinen and Warren
Platner. Certainly, the first thing
you would point to is that their
designs are timeless. The appeal
of their design is about simplicity,
functionality, beauty, and price
point. When you think that
a Saarinen marble top
dining table or a Platner
dining table can be
purchased for less
than $4,000, that is
incredible. Platner
was rejected
twice by Hans
Knoll because
they could not
figure out how to
produce his steel
wire furniture cost
effectively. Finally,
Hans saw that it was
very similar to the
production of metal
shopping carts and the
rest is history.
Wasn’t Hans Knoll’s wife a
designer of iconic modern
furniture?
Yes, Florence Schust Knoll Bassett,
who was known as Shu, was
married to Hans and was his
business partner until his death in
1955. She trained as an architect
and was known as the business
brains and the financier of Knoll.
She really didn’t consider herself
a furniture designer per se but
took a view of interior design that
incorporated the furnishings as
part of the whole. The Knoll sofa
is an excellent example of that.
It is a scaled-down translation of
the rhythm and proportions of
mid-century modern architecture,
incorporating the expected clean
lines but warmed through color
and texture.
Many iconic modern
pieces have interesting
stories behind them,
such as the famous Egg
chair. What can you tell
us about that and other
iconic modern furniture?
Arne Jacobsen designed the
Egg chair for the SAS Royal
Hotel in Copenhagen. He
was such a control freak that
everything in the hotel was
designed by
him.
What is the difference between
modern and contemporary
furniture?
Modern design refers to the
specific time period between the
early and mid-twentieth century.
This was the peak of art and design
informed by Scandinavian and
German Bauhaus design, creating
a distinct style focused on simple
form and function. From modern
came mid-century modern, which
was developed in the 1950s and
1960s. Contemporary design is
constantly changing to reflect
the popular styles of present day
design. It borrows qualities from
modernism, minimalism, and
other global styles, without hyperfocusing
on any one in particular.
Contemporary is by definition
what’s going on in design at this
very moment in time, which
makes it more fluid and hard to
pin down. Modern design, on the
other hand, has a distinguishable
aesthetic that emphasizes crisp
lines, warm neutrals, and balance.
Home Resource carries licensed
modern furniture. What is that?
We only represent modern brands
that have licensed the rights to
production. This is Herman Miller,
Knoll, Fritz Hansen, Cassina,
Vitra and Artifort. We do not
sell knockoffs or fakes. These
companies that produce licensed
furniture do the research, make the
investment and create authentic,
iconic pieces. They need to be
supported for their efforts.
Platner Nickel Dining Table
Egg Chair