In the late 20th century, Otto Zapf was one of Germany’s most prolific and successful industrial designers. Robert Cadwallader was promoted to president of Knoll in 1971. Two years later, he saw one of Zapf’s product designs and became intrigued with his work. In 1973, Cadwallader signed Zapf to work on new designs for Knoll. The first effort by Zapf for Knoll was a new executive chair.1 Zapf’s goals for the design of the chair embraced comfort and a luxurious aesthetic.
“People spend a lot of time of their life in offices,” Zapf wrote. “The chairs they use are their home and castle during the day. So these chairs have to be as comfortable as possible and have to give a feeling of security to the people.”2
Zapf began designing the chair in the first quarter of 1973 and filed the first design patent with Knoll in May 1973.3 The frame of the chair evolved quickly and was straightforward. The seat pan had bolted to it two long, steel brackets for the back cushions and two shorter brackets with rigid panel to support the arm cushions. The seat, arm and back cushions were made individually; the arm and seatback cushions were designed to quickly slide over the arm and seatback frame.
Zapf gave the cushions a distinctive upholstery welting detail that looked attractive in both fabric or leather. The No. 61-203 armchair and swivel armchair had a two-cushion seatback, while the No. 61-204 high back armchair and high back swivel armchair had a three-cushion seatback. There was also a No. 61-204 high back lounge chair and separate matching No. 61-209 ottoman. Knoll introduced the Zapf Executive Chairs at NEOCON in Chicago in 1974.4
Zapf also designed a casual, lounge seating collection for Knoll called Pollorama made predominantly of upholstered polyurethane foam, and a separate line called Pillorama which had pillow-like cushions which tied to each other over a high-density polyurethane core.5
What had caught Cadwallader’s attention at first and what he was most interested in, however, was Zapf’s design for an exhibit stand for Knoll’s textile division at the International Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany. Cadwallader saw this as the basis of a new office landscape system, and he directed Zapf to work on it. The fabric-dominant system that emerged was different in design and materials from the Stephens Office System that emphasized wood veneers.
“Thanks to Bill Stephens and his Design/Development crew who treated the new system as their own baby, we were able to have it ready for market within the year,” Zapf said.6 The Zapf System was a significant source of profits for Knoll in the latter 1970s and early 1980s, and bears mention here. Knoll devoted an entire 26-page issue of its contract trade tabloid to the Zapf System.7
It is the executive seating that Zapf designed for Knoll that is of the most interest to collectors. The Zapf executive chairs remained in production into the early 1990s.8
1. https://ottozapf.com/biography.html.
2. ”Zippy Zapf.” Knoll tabloid, 1976.
3. Zapf, Otto W. Furniture Construction. US Patent 4,285,544, filed May 25, 1973, and issued August 25, 1981.
4. https://ottozapf.com/biography.html.
5. Nancy N. Schiffer, Knoll Home & Office Furniture. (Atglen: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2006). 175-176.
6. Eric Larrabee and Massimo Vignelli. Knoll Design. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, 1990). 237.
7. “Otto Zapf Designs an Imaginative Component Office System for Knoll…” Knoll tabloid, 1976.
8. Author Brian Lutz states the Zapf executive seating remained in production through 1991 (Knoll – A Modernist Universe, p 194). However, The Zapf Collection was included in the KnollStudio Price List 1992 which was carried over through December 31, 1993 with no price increase. The Zapf Collection was not included in the KnollStudio Price List March 1996.