Products That Defined a Century – The Knoll Offering at dedece

Continuing the legacy of modernist design, a curated collection of classic furniture is available at dedece. Manufactured by Knoll, five particular works by Eero Saarinen, Warren Platner, Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer exemplify the enduring modernist perspective.

Resolving the “confusing, unrestful world” beneath tables and chairs, the timeless designs of Eero Saarinen feature a pared-back form with slender, sculptural elements replacing convention. Exemplifying this concept, the Saarinen Tulip Side Table contributes to the resounding success of the Pedestal Collection. An elegant design completed with either a round or oval top, the side table nods towards Saarinen’s experience exploring the possibilities enabled by shape.

Embracing the most distinguished modernist designs, decede engages with a significant period in the history of furniture.

Having worked at the firm of Eero Saarinen and Associates, Warren Platner channelled his understanding of pedestal and wire furniture into creating a second generation of the type. The Platner Side Chair features the gentle visual profile that defined the evolved modern vocabulary, with hundreds of steel rods melded to a circular frame. Suggesting ornamentation through structure, the chair reflects an extensive consideration of scale and space.

In collaboration with Lilly Reich, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the Barcelona Chair, one of the most recognisable pieces to emerge from the modernist movement. With upholstery containing 120 individual panels – hand-sewn from a single cowhide – the Barcelona Chair is supported by a piece of premium-grade stainless steel, hand-ground and buffed into a mirror finish. The minimal work is manufactured according to the designer’s own exacting standards.

The intricacies of the modernist style are laid bare as customers experience the products that defined a century.

Following the understated aesthetic of the chair design, the Barcelona Daybed is comprised of a hardwood frame in African Ramin, adorned with a clear lacquer finish and supported by tubular, stainless steel legs. Fixed to the base is a high-density polyurethane foam with a dacron fibre filling, bound by 20 cowhide belting straps. A tight command of line and materiality is indicated throughout the design.

In contrast, the Cesca Chair by Marcel Breuer evolves from the design of the Wassily Chair. Fascinated by the manipulation of tubing in order to create frames, as well as the seeming transparency of the resulting forms, Marcel Breuer designed the chair as a continuous line of steel with a supportive cantilevered seat. A maximal celebration of an innovative material, the Cesca Chair is conceptually timeless.

Embracing the most distinguished modernist designs, decede engages with a significant period in the history of furniture. The intricacies of the modernist style are laid bare as customers experience the products that defined a century.