A graduate of the Chicago Institute of Design, aka “The New Bauhaus” founded by Moholy-Nagy, Richard Schultz joined the team at Knoll in 1951. In his first year, Schultz worked with Florence Knoll in the interior design office and assisted Harry Bertoia on the development of his wire furniture collection. Schultz designed his indoor/outdoor Petal Table (1960) to accompany Bertoia’s wire chairs, leading to the launch of his first product for Knoll and one of the collections for which he is most known. Inspired by the sight of a Queen Anne’s Lace flower growing near his home, he designed the tabletop to have eight petals. He then mounted them on a cast aluminum “spider” that keeps each petal independent and allows the material to expand and contract with the weather. The Petal Table is included in the permanent collection at MoMA. This is the authentic Petal Table by Knoll. Made in U.S.A.

Architect Philip Johnson was a fan of this collection. He used Petal Tables in his yard – and they remain as he left them, at the Glass House today.

Photo courtesy of Design Within Reach