Peter Stamberg & Paul Aferiat

In 1993, Carl Magnusson was appointed Worldwide Director of Design for Knoll. Among his first new design collaborations was with Stamberg Aferiat Architecture in New York. Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat were both graduates of architecture curriculum universities and practiced independently, but often collaborated over the years on architectural commissions. In 1989, they formed Stamberg Aferiat Architecture.¹

When Magnusson invited the two architects to design a new seating collection for Knoll, in keeping with their distinctive architectural style they knew they wanted to have elements of vivid color. To have a striking appearance, they also wanted to employ wood as a primary element of its structure and add the ability to add shelving in a variety of configurations.

Over a period of months, the design of a lounge chair, settee and sofa emerged and the means of securely mounting shelves to the exterior of each piece. This included installing cast aluminum grommets in the sides and back of the chair, settee or sofa, to which were installed shelf supports. The splayed tube steel legs of the furniture required hidden reinforcement.

The Stamberg-Aferiat No. 66S1-M Salsa Lounge Chair. Grommets in the sides of the chair permitted the installation of shelving. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

Clearly visible in this photo are the grommets that permitted a variety of shelving configurations on the Stambert-Aferiat No. 66S2-M Salsa Settee. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

Continuing with Knoll’s new memorable naming convention, Stamberg and Aferiat came up with Salsa, and Magnusson enthusiastically agreed. The Stamberg Aferiat Collection of Salsa Lounge Seating was introduced by Knoll in 1994. The lounge chair, settee or sofa could be ordered with or without the mounting grommets, and this collection had its own seating specification form for ordering the shelving configuration desired. The legs and shelf supports could be ordered individually in different colors. Exterior surfaces could be ordered in a variety of veneers.²

The Stamberg-Aferiat No. 66S3-M Salsa Sofa upholstered in Spinneybeck Leather. If no shelf mounting was desired, the Lounge Chair, Settee and Sofa used the suffix -Y instead of -M. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

1. Knoll Designer Bios: Stamberg Aferiat Architecture. https://www.knoll.com/designer/Stamberg-Aferiat-Architecture.
2. KnollStudio Price List March 1996. 64-67.
3. 1994 Product: The Salsa Lounge Collection. https://www.knoll.com/the-archive/.