collectingknoll.com

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

Neil Frankel

Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

Neil Frankel earned his architectural degree from the University of Illinois. Rising to the position of Director of Interiors at the Chicago Office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, he had a client list that spoke volumes. In 1998, Frankle and his wife opened a design consultancy in Chicago in 1998.

Carl Magnusson was eager to recruit Neil Frankel with a new office furnishings requirement for Knoll. It was “…a solution suited to the fast-paced, informal environment of the computer-age workplace. Mobility was his central consideration…”1

Mobility clearly dictated casters. The seat frame would have the capability of accepting a pivoting writing tablet and a shelf underneath the seat, and the chair had to visually convey lightness and ease of movement. The designs that emerged from Frankle put industrial back into industrial design and once-again showed Knoll’s willingness to take risks.

Instead of wood or steel tubing for the frame, cast aluminum from permanent molds was chosen. Stainless steel wire mesh was selected for the sides and back in one continuous piece. The chair frame sat on two small casters in front and two large casters in the back. The seat and back cushion could be upholstered in almost any fabric or leather from Knoll.2

The Neil Frankel No. S10LMC Lounge Chair. It could be ordered with either left tablet arm (No. S10T-R) or right tablet arm (No. S10T-L) as well as an under seat wire shelf No. S10LMS. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

Frankle designed two tables; the side table measured 19.5 inches in diameter and while relatively light weight, had casters on two of its three legs. The 29.5-inch diameter coffee table had four fixed legs. These tables had conventional MDF tops with laminate finish and steel tube legs.3

The stainless steel wire mesh in the Frankel Lounge Chair would be subject to dents over years of use. Restoration efforts would include repainting the aluminum frame and remove or replace the wire mesh. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.
Frankel No. S30T30-G Coffee Table and No. S30T20 rolling Table. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

The Neil Frankel Collection was introduced in 1999 and remained in the catalog until 2006.4 

1. “Knoll Designer Bios: Neil Frankel.”  https://www.knoll.com/designer/Neil-Frankel.
2. KnollStudio Price List 2000. 98-99.
3. KnollStudio Price List 2000. 280-281.
4. “1999 Product – The Neil Frankel Collection.” https://www.knoll.com/the-archive/. Collectors of the Frankel lounge chair will possibly find the wire mesh dented that will need to be restored or replaced.