Grasshopper High Tables
Knoll presents Grasshopper, a collection of tables designed by Piero
Lissoni, a perfect combination of pure geometry and synthesis of design. The
modern table is where key decisions are taken, accommodating a range of
functions from family reunions to business meetings.
"If this table could be described with just two words, they would
be flared and lightweight. Indeed, Grasshopper borrows its name from the animal
that has six precision tools for legs. Here there are four, equally long and
incredible and yet perfectly functional. Above them sits a top that is so thin
that it looks able to lift up and take to the air. An object that is so
weightless and compact that it works perfectly with all the chairs of the Knoll
range. And then I wanted it to have the height of a classic table, just a
little lower than those of today, a few centimeters less to promote privileged
refinement around the table", so Lissoni describes the new collection of tables.
The elegance of Grasshopper derives from its combination of
surfaces and structure: the surfaces are distinguished by their slenderness and
are available with an innovative rectangular form, incorporating rounded
corners, or in a circular format, while the structure is composed of very thin,
high-performance cast steel elements available in chromed, burnished or painted
finishes. The tabletop is available in uncommon and exquisite stone, such as
Rosso Rubino marble, glass, and woods. Each element of the collection expresses
the value of Knoll craftsmanship, evidenced in the working of raw materials of
the highest quality, and careful and passionate detailing that confers a
special charm to these extremely versatile tables.
Grasshopper also includes a family of low tables conceived as
a minimal planetary system. Suspended at different heights, they turn as if
floating in thin air, supporting the hypothesis that a gentle spirit is an
ethereal gift. The low tables use the same materials and combine with the main
round tabletop to produce secondary, differently sized tables that can be moved
along the perimeter, tracing out circular orbits. The versatility of these
tables derives not only from their clear, geometric aesthetic and their
different sizes and heights, but also from the variety of finishes available
for the top. Easily adaptable, they add an equally refined touch to the private
living room or the public lounge area.
| About Designer | |
|---|---|
Piero Lissoni - Knoll |
The architect,
designer and art director Piero Lissoni (1956), after graduating from the
Politecnico di Milano, founded the Milan based interdisciplinary studio Lissoni
Associati in 1986 together with Nicoletta Canesi, developing architecture,
interior and industrial design projects. Ten years later saw the opening of
Graph.x, the graphics studio specializing in brand development and corporate
identity. In 2013 it was the turn of Lissoni Architettura and in 2015 the New
York based Lissoni Inc. was established, to follow the international market.
With its staff of 70, the studio develops architecture, interiors, design and
graphics projects, including villas, residential complexes, offices, factories,
theatres, restaurants and hotels, yachts, shops, retail areas, museum fit-outs,
exhibition stands, furniture and lighting. Piero Lissoni is art director
of Alpi, Boffi, De Padova, Living Divani, Lema, Lualdi, Porro and Sanlorenzo
for whom he designs a variety of products. Recognized as one of the masters of
contemporary design, he works for many international brands including Alessi,
Antrax, B&B, Bonacina1889, Cappellini, Cassina, Cotto, Fantini, Flos, Glas
Italia, Golran, Illy, Janus et Cie, Kartell, Kerakoll, Knoll, Nerosicilia,
Olivari, Salvatori, Tecno, Viccarbe. Recently completed architectural projects
include The Middle House for the Swire Hotels Group in Shanghai (2018), The
Oberoi Al Zorah Beach Resort Ajman in the UAE (2017), Oceana Bal Harbour, the
masterful 240-unit condominium in Miami (2017), Casa Fantini, an 11-room hotel
on the shores of Lake Orta (2017), the Sanlorenzo SX88 yacht (2017), Roomers
Hotel in Baden-Baden with 130 rooms and spa (2016), Conservatorium Hotel in
Amsterdam (2012), Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem (2009), the renovation of the
historic Teatro Nazionale in Milan (2009) and the production headquarters of
Fantini spa (2018), Kerakoll Design Lab (2014), Glas Italia (2010) and Living
Divani (2007). Current projects include the Hotel Park in Croatia, the
Autograph Hotel and Residences in Budapest, SLS Lux Hotel and Residences in
Washington D.C., the Miami Beach Ritz-Carlton Residences, apartments at 45 Park
Place in New York, the Hilton Tbilisi hotel in Georgia and private villas in
Amsterdam, New York and Mumbai. Lissoni’s interest in the art world
brought him to design a variety of temporary shows in Milan: the room for
exhibitions at Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, inaugurated with “The triptych of
Antonello da Messina” (2015) and recently featuring “The Museum of Innocence by
Orhan Pamuk” (2018), the retrospective of the photographer Giovanni Gastel,
curated by Germano Celant, at Palazzo della Ragione (2016), the anthology of
the Renaissance painter “Bernardino Luini e i suoi Figli” at Palazzo Reale
(2014). Fondazione Palazzo Te has inaugurated in Mantua the exhibition
“Tiziano/Gerhard Richter- Heaven on earth ” where Piero Lissoni, with Lissoni
Associati and Graph.x, has designed the installation, the project of visual
identity and the catalogue to accompany the show (2018-2019). Piero
Lissoni has received a series of international awards, including the Good
Design Award, the Red Dot Award and the Compasso d'Oro ADI; he is Board Member
of the MAXXI National Museum in Rome, he is visiting professor and part of the
Advisory Board at the Politecnico di Milano, he is Honorary Member of the
Altagamma International Council. |
