Knoll Merges Bauhaus with Famous LA Skate Spots

To celebrate the launch of their Bauhaus collection, Knoll tapped photographer Adam Jason Cohen to capture each new colorway in some of Los Angeles’ most famous skate spots. With a contemporary lens on classic Bauhaus designs, Adam’s photography reinterprets these ideals, showcasing the collection in a fresh light.

By

August 8, 2024

To showcase the new finishes, Knoll collaborated with photographer Adam Jason Cohen, known for his work with Virgil Abloh and Nike. The cylindrical concrete facade serves as a striking backdrop for the MR Chair, both reflecting a shared vision of curvature and industrial design.

Adam photographed the chairs in in four locations across Los Angeles, including Venice Beach skatepark. The curving architecture mirrors the sculptural quality of the designs.

These designs are now being introduced in three new finishes: an archival dark red, white, and black. The iconic Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer is constructed of leather or canvas straps stretched across a tubular steel frame.

The dark red, rendered in an ultra-matte finish, pays homage to a Bauhaus color originally featured on the MR Chair. The chair is inspired by the bends in a bicycle, according to Knoll.

The black and white shades evoke the Bauhaus designers’ use of these colors to enhance light reflection and absorption, highlight geometric shapes, and emphasize clean, defined edges.

Similar to the color update itself, the campaign concept reframes the iconic Bauhaus-era design and celebrates the pieces through a new lens.

The collaboration also taps into a resurgence of passion for Bauhaus design, specifically tubular steel furniture.

The photos highlight the conversation between furniture design and architecture that gave rise to these iconic pieces, while also underscoring the enduring relevance—and the lasting influence of Bauhaus principles.

As an original Mies van der Rohe Design, the chair’s frame is stamped with the Knoll logo and designer’s signature.

 

White, onyx, and an archival dark red are now available for the MR Chair and MR Tables by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and for the Wassily Chair, Cesca Chairs and Stools, and Laccio Tables by Marcel Breuer.

Photos by Adam Jason Cohen, courtesy Knoll

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