The new-gen
When Knoll introduced the Morrison Hannah chair to the world in 1973, the American furniture giant came up with a pithy slogan: “Easy to manufacture, easy to reupholster, easy to live with and easy to love.” It wasn’t only catchy – it perfectly summarised what would become one of the world’s most enduring light task chairs.
It was the work of two American designers, Bruce Hannah and the late Andrew Morrison, who found in each other a kindred design spirit that saw them collaborate for more than a decade. As individuals, they created several before-their-time pieces for Knoll, including the Hannah Desk System (1976) and the open-plan Morrison Office System (1986), which, in its 33 years of production, generated more than $US3 billion in sales.
But it is the elliptical Morrison Hannah chair – available in Australia at Living Edge – that defines the partnership. Now Knoll has created a new iteration of the piece, underscoring its continued relevance in contemporary workspaces. Hannah worked closely with the Knoll team to modernise the design, incorporating new-generation aluminium and foam to elevate the original and an extended palette of material and colour options. “Being able to work on the chair again, all these years later, was an extraordinary experience,” he says. “It was a happy chair in 1973 and, after the recent changes we made, it’s even happier today.”
The revival of the Morrison Hannah chair reflects the continued resurgence in re-engineering design classics for 21st-century audiences, offering elevated comfort and versatility for a new generation.
Take the Wilkes Modular Sofa Group, designed by Ray Wilkes in 1976 and re-released by Herman Miller in 2021. Fondly known as ‘the Chiclet’ – for its resemblance to the colourful American chewing gum – the range retains its defining features, including the 105-degree angle of the seat and back, but with an expanded range of upholstery options.
Equally iconic is the Panton chair, the world’s first all-plastic chair constructed in one piece, conceived by Danish architect and designer Verner Panton in 1959 and produced in collaboration with Swiss company Vitra in 1967. While its unique cantilevered form and anthropomorphic shape remain unchanged, Panton and Vitra worked together to reproduce the piece in a matte-finish polypropylene, which is entirely recyclable, and released it to the market in 1999.
Another enduring design is the Nelson Marshmallow sofa, a collaboration between inventor Irving Harper and designer George Nelson, and produced by Herman Miller in 1956. A whimsical design comprising 18 plastic discs arranged on a steel frame, the sofa was re-released as part of the Herman Miller Classics line in the 1980s and continues to be produced today, cementing its place in the pantheon of iconic seating design.
The new-generation Wilkes modular range, Panton chair and Nelson Marshmallow sofa – all available at Living Edge – join the Morrison Hannah chair in reaffirming their place in design history.
