Born In: Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Years Active: 1943 to 1965
Though her case pieces and sofas are ubiquitous, Florence Knoll Bassett famously did not consider herself a furniture designer. She said she would only design furniture when the existing Knoll collection did not meet the needs of her interior projects. She co-founded Knoll Associates with her husband Hans.
When he died in a car accident in 1955 she took over the company and helped shape the forefront of American Modernism by introducing collections designed by Harry Bertoia, Eero Saarinen, George Nakashima, Alexander Gerrared and countless other masters of mid-century design.