Yesterday, at a White House luncheon, First Lady Michelle Obama bestowed Knoll with a Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Corporate and Institutional Achievement”a well-deserved honor. Knoll furniture and textiles have been shaping the aesthetics of the American office since the company was founded by Hans Knoll in 1938. A recent book, Knoll, A Modernist Universe, by Brian Lutz (Rizzoli) gives a comprehensive look at this iconic company and the design legends it fostered. Here, a photograph of Knoll and his wife and partner Florence, flanked by designers Herbert Matter (left) and Harry Bertoia, in 1952. Photo: Courtesy of Knoll