Florence Knoll was a believer in raw talent. She could sense a designer’s potential, even when they had no professional experience. One of America’s best design schools was right across the river from the Knoll Manhattan offices, in Brooklyn: Pratt Institute. The school had a respected reputation for educating young men and women in creative fields of architecture, industrial design, fashion and related professions. She welcomed the opportunity to interview Pratt graduates.
Vincent Cafiero knew what company he wanted to work for, even while studying for his industrial design degree at Pratt. Taking the subway over to Manhattan to visit the Knoll showroom was always inspiring to him as he admired the furniture designs of Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Franco Albini, Florence Knoll herself, and other designers. He graduated from Pratt Institute in 1952, then took post-graduate studies at Pace University and Texas Western University.1 He then applied for a position at Knoll.
During his interview with Florence Knoll, he confessed he felt his portfolio of designs was inadequate. She reassured him, saying, “Look, if you keep your eyes and ears open around here, we’ll teach you all you have to know.”2 He began work in the Planning Unit. Starting in 1956, he was a Senior Designer, involved with all facets of the interior design jobs that came through the department.
In 1958, Cafiero wanted Knoll to provide something new in the way of executive seating. “Everything in chair design had gotten curvy and scooped out—I call them bucket chairs—and I wanted something a bit more linear.”3 This statement was perhaps a veiled reference to the Saarinen executive chairs that were routinely specified for corporate interiors the Planning Unit was designing at the time.
Cafiero worked on sketches of the chair he envisioned, then took them to Florence Knoll, who agreed with Cafiero’s logic and suggested he make a model. “I wanted to do a chair that was very simple—four planes, with seat and back slightly curved for comfort. I used tested production techniques to achieve an ample chair that was not visually overwhelming but complementary to Knoll desks and cabinets.”4
Cafiero took his finished model to Shu, her nickname among those in the Planning Unit, who gave a reasoned design review, critique—and approval for product development. The next step was a full-scale prototype, and over the next year the chair underwent production development. Cafiero’s design was adaptable to use as a swivel armchair (No. 180), high back swivel armchair (No. 181) , lounge chair with ottoman and four legged armchair and lounge chair.5 The Cafiero Chair Collection was in production from 1960 through 1985.
(Photo of Vincent Cafiero courtesy of Knoll, Inc.)
1. “Knoll Designer Bios – Vincent Cafiero”. https://www.knoll.com/the-archive/.
2. Eric Larrabee and Massimo Vignelli, Knoll Design (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1989), 142.
3. “1960 Product – The Cafiero Chair Collection”. https://www.knoll.com/the-archive/
4. “Cafiero’s Classic.” Knoll tabloid, (1976): 2.
5. Knoll International Furniture Price List 1973. 23-24.