Long Live Craftsmanship!

If Markus Benz were ever to write a book about his furniture company Walter Knoll, he would already have a fitting title up his sleeve. It would be called “True Values Never Die” – because preserving genuine values is the guiding philosophy behind the Walter Knoll brand. “We want to develop furniture with design-based values that will be understood anywhere in the world,” says the CEO.

And it’s not just the harmony of form and function that is crucial to achieving that aim; the workmanship that produces the product plays an equally vital role. At Walter Knoll, everything is largely made by hand. The premium furniture manufacturer cultivates craftsmanship – you don’t even have to set foot in the company’s premises to realise that. You just have to peek through the glass facade of its new “Markenland” building in the Swabian town of Herrenberg. As might be expected, the transparent ground floor houses the showroom. But it also contains the upholstery workshop – a distinctive showpiece steeped in tradition: Walter Knoll, whose founder was once Purveyor to the Royal Court of Württemberg, is regarded as the oldest upholstered furniture brand in Germany.

With this history behind it, Walter Knoll has been breaking new ground for some time now. In 1993, it joined forces with another renowned German furniture family: Walter Knoll was bought by Rolf Benz, whose son Markus Benz then took over as CEO. It was a step that played an important role in the company’s success story: sales have increased more than tenfold since Markus Benz has been at the helm. And in view of the fact that the Herrenberg company collaborates with some of the most famous architects in the world – including Norman Foster, Kengo Kuma and Ben van Berkel – it comes as no surprise that its furniture has been honoured with numerous international design awards as well.

The “Leadchair”, a design by Viennese firm EOOS, has now joined the Walter Knoll collection after five years of development. The timelessly elegant upholstery of the executive chair is sculpted out of soft leather. Besides demonstrating Walter Knoll’s supreme upholstery expertise, it dispenses entirely with the kind of gimmicks familiar from more conventional and often excessively opulent executive chairs.

The new “Foster 520” club chair designed by London architectural firm Foster + Partners embodies the same focus on exclusive materials, flawless craftsmanship and technical perfection. Its makers opted for strikingly grained saddle leather, adding an exquisite finishing touch by sinking particularly elaborate decorative stitching into the thick leather. Markus Benz is by no means the only fan of the result: in 2013, “Foster 520” won the Red Dot Award’s “Best of the Best” distinction.

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Photos: Markus Leser, Walter Knoll

WALTER KNOLL AG & CO. KG
Bahnhofstrasse 25
DE-71083 Herrenberg
Tel. 0049 (0) 7032 208 0
Fax 0049 (0) 7032 208 250
info@walterknoll.de