
A prominent brand of modern furniture design, Walter Knoll stands out with perfect craftsmanship and durability in its vibrant living spaces. The story of the Knoll family begins with leather trade in Stuttgart, Germany in 1865. Born in 1839, Wilhelm Knoll opened his own leather shop by frequently traveling to Paris, the center of fashion, luxury and leatherwork. In 1907, his sons Willy and Walter took over the job from their father and expanded the range of products by beginning to manufacture armchairs and chairs. Walter Knoll was the first brand to introduce single armchair to Germany.
In 1938, one of his sons, Hans Knoll, traveled to the U.S. and started selling his father’s products. Having met modern architecture there, Hans Knoll opened his own company in 1939. The brand Walter Knoll grew further in the 1970s and carried out multifaceted projects such as office designs, armchairs that prioritize comfort, conference hall solutions, and comfortable seating areas for lobbies or halls. Opening its London and Paris showrooms in 2009, Walter Knoll celebrates its 150th anniversary in the industry.
Born in Japan in 1977, Daï Sugasawa worked with Christophe Pillet for some time and opened his own studio in Paris in 2010. He then started to work freelance for Philippe Starck. Thanks to his designs that blend nature and Asian culture, the designer’s goal is defined as “to bring organic elements from nature into our living space and link people back to their original environment.”