Among her many innovations, Florence Knoll introduced padded and tufted upholstered chair seats without armrests, so that space flowed effortlessly around them, and custom-colored curtains to compensate for the unnatural quality of the new fluorescent lights. In this lecture, Christine Gorby will explore how Florence Knoll reconceptualized the use of textiles as integral architectural elements within the modern interior and in the context of dynamic social and technological changes.

Christine Gorby is an architect and associate professor of architecture,
Pennsylvania State University, College of Arts and Architecture.