The smallest group of designers Knoll has welcomed during its history is that of artists. Most notable among these, of course, is Harry Bertoia. Furniture is not simply utilitarian, it is, or can be, sculptural. This has been a fundamental aspect of Knoll for decades.
Granite and marble have appeared in Knoll’s catalog in Florence Knoll’s and Eero Saarinen’s tabletops, Gae Aulenti’s Jumbo table, and Angelo Mangiarotti’s collection, among others. Knoll found another artist in Lucia Mercer, who questioned why these dense materials can’t take other forms?
She started with a profile, then canted it. Naturally, a large elliptical top could be added, and it was. The Mercer Collection was introduced by Knoll in 19821 and included the 701 small table (sometimes referred to as the Stump Table), the 705 table with 50-inch by 63-inch tabletop, and 711 elliptical section, ¾-inch thick. The granite choices included Black Onyx, Gem Mist, and Dakota Mahogany. The artist’s personal mark was sandblasted on each piece.2
The 705 table remained in the Knoll catalog through 1988, but was not listed in the 1990 Price List.3 The 701 small table remained listed through 2002, and was reintroduced to the Knoll catalog in 2018.4 The 711 elliptical section was discontinued in the mid-1980s.
The 705 large table is the focus of collectors today.
1. “The Mercer Collection.” https://www.knoll.com/the-archive/.
2. Knoll Catalog and Price List, Knoll International. May 1984. 121.
3. KnollStudio Price List 1988. 188.
4. “The Mercer Collection.” https://www.knoll.com/the-archive/.