Designed by Alexander Girard, 1945
Alexander Girard described himself as “a reasonable and sane functionalist, tempered by irrational frivolity.” The Model 108 Coffee Table, introduced to the Knoll catalog in 1948, reflects the playful spirit he injected into the often austere modern vocabulary.
Details
FEATURES
Designed by Alexander Girard in 1945 for Knoll, the coffee table asymmetric shape reflects the mid-century aesthetic of clean lines, organic shapes and Girard’s view that “Art is only art when it is synonymous with living.”
CONSTRUCTION
Top: Oak or walnut veneer. Top has a 45° beveled edge.
Legs: Cold-rolled steel tubes with metal weldment in black powder coat.
FINISHES
The structure is always black, while the top is available in natural oak, ebonised oak and walnut.
DIMENSIONS
150cm L x 66cm W x 41cm H.
Coffee Table by Alexander Girard will soon be avaialable in our e-store.
Product Story
Alexander Girard described himself as “a reasonable and sane functionalist, tempered by irrational frivolity.” The Coffee Table, introduced to the Knoll catalogue as the Model 108 in 1948, reflects the playful spirit he injected into the often austere modern vocabulary. The table was an early Knoll Classic, and is prominently featured in one of the most iconic portraits of Florence Knoll and her dog, Cartree.
Girard’s furniture and, more famously, his textile designs defined a new kind of “opulent modernism.” Often drawing inspiration from traditional folk art, his pioneering and innovative approach to design helped usher in the colours, whimsy and amoebic shapes synonymous with 1960’s America.
After a major retrospective or Girard’s work at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in 2004, Knoll reintroduced the Coffee Table.
