collectingknoll.com

Covering Knoll furniture from 1960 to 2000 that is no longer in production.

Carl Magnusson

Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

Carl Gustav Magnusson played a crucial role in guiding Knoll’s design direction from the twentieth into the twenty-first century. Born and raised in Sweden and Canada, he chose to study engineering and architecture at the University of Idaho and returned to Sweden to complete his studies at the Chalmers University of Technology in 1963.1

He returned to the United States and in March 1967 began work in the design office of Charles and Rae Eames. The nearly two years he spent there were formative to Magnusson’s future direction in furniture design.2 In January 1976, he was hired by Knoll for Director of Graphics and Showroom Design. He was promoted to Director of Design for Europe and in 1993 became Worldwide Executive VP Director of Design for Knoll.3

While commissioning and working with architects and designers on new products for Knoll, he was also able to generate new and needed offerings. The first to carry his name was a series of desks he designed to meet Knoll’s need for a mid-priced wood desk, to complement the Stephens, Gwathmey-Siegel and other wood desks available in the casegoods catalog. The Magnusson Uptown, Magnusson Midtown and Magnusson Downtown desks with coordinated credenzas and storage featured distinctive details to give a range of choices for customers.4This line of office furniture was introduced in 1993 and became a bestseller.5

The Magnusson Midtown Desk, Return and Storage unit in medium red mahogany finish. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.
The Magnusson Downtown Desk and Credenza with footwell in beechwood had distinctive top edge detailing and drawer pulls. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.
Magnusson Racetrack Conference Table with Life Chair seating. Photo: Michael Cullen for Knoll, Inc.

Magnusson was the driving force for a new Knoll office chair requirement in the late 1990s. For this chair, he decided to keep the design effort in-house. He explained the requirements:

“Mid-market, visually and ergonomically comfortable, economically competitive and visually unique.”6 Magnusson always began his designs with sketches, then proceeded to formal drawings. He brought in others for design development in Pennsylvania, which included Michael McAllister, Lamar White and William Shea.7

The RPM Chair collection was offered in a range of seat and arm controls and included the High Task Chair (center). Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

To keep the price of this chair competitive with others in the market, Magnusson chose to use the same seat and seat back common to the various models and provide degrees of control and adjustment as needed. Being a life-long automotive enthusiast, Magnusson gave this chair collection the name RPM, and it was introduced in 2000.8

The RPM Chair remained in production for fifteen years. Magnusson proudly stated, “It was commercially very successful.”9

1. Carl Gustav Magnusson [LinkedIn page] Retrieved February 6, 2024 from https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-gustav-magnusson/.
2. Ibid.
3. “Knoll Designer Bios: Carl Magnusson.”  https://www.knoll.com/designer/Carl-Magnusson.
4. The Knoll Group, Knoll Wood Desks and Casegoods (1993), 8-15.
5. “1993 Product: The Magnusson Desk.” https://www.knoll.com/the-archive/
6. Carl Magnusson email message to author, September 22, 2023.
7. Magnusson, Carl, et. al. CHAIR. U.S. Patent Des. 423,241 filed January 11, 1999, and issued April 25, 2000. See also Design Patent US D444,638 S, filed June 9, 2000, and issued July 10, 2001.
8. Knoll Office Seating Price List 2008. 98-108.
9. Carl Magnusson email message to author, September 22, 2023.