Florence Knoll

As a child, Florence Knoll became family friends with the Saarinen family, who quickly noted her talents. After graduating from the Illinois Institute of Chicago with a degree in architecture, Knoll moved to Massachusetts to work in the office of Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. In 1941, she moved to New York City, where she began working for furniture producer Hans Knoll. The two married in 1946 and the following year she founded the textile division for Knoll, Inc and began to design her now-iconic modernist upholstery fabrics. After Hans died in a tragic car accident, she took over as president of the company, and created over 100 furniture designs. In addition to designing furniture, Knoll also had an innate eye for the work of other modern designers. A woman on top - the fact that she mentored other designers of the day like a mid-century mother hen.