A Little More Knoll

Thanks for all the inquiries about the Knoll sofas.  Here is a little more information on the beautiful fabric.  As it turns out, it was designed by Sheila Hicks.  Sheila Hicks is an American fiber artist who studied at Yale under Josef Albers and whose interests leaned toward Peruvian textiles and Mexican hand weaving.  Today her work can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MoMA, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, amongst others.

Back in the day, when Sheila Hicks interviewed with Florence Knoll for a position in the textiles department, she wore a dress made of fabric that she wove herself.  Below is the suit she wore to the interview.  

Does the fabric look familiar?  Needless to say, she got the job and the pattern from her suit went on to become the basis for her designs at Knoll.  The wonderful wool fabric in the two sofas is called "Inca" and was inspired by her travels in South America.