Knoll Risom Lounge Chair

The Risom Lounge Chair was born from a relationship between two of the design world’s most influential characters. Besides being the first piece to be commissioned and manufactured by Knoll, it also raised the need for creating inexpensive, simple furnishings in the United States. When a young Jens Risom first met Hans Knoll, Knoll was working as an importer of European Designs and was worried how WWII would disrupt his supply lines. Knoll recruited Risom in the hopes that he could design furniture to be produced locally in New York. After researching the state of manufacturing in the U.S. for four months, they created the 600 Series with materials that weren’t limited by wartime restrictions. The first Lounge Chair was built locally in 1943 with a simple maple frame and discarded parachute webbing. Today, it’s still produced by Knoll—but with 100 percent natural cotton webbing and a frame made of maple or walnut hardwood. You can also choose to have it with or without arms.