The Paste-up
Knoll communicated and presented the designs of the Knoll Planning Unit through what she referred to as ‘paste-ups.’ The paste up was a small representational plan of the space with fabric swatches, wood chips and finishes attached to represent furniture and other details. This communicated both the materiality and arrangement of sofas, chairs, desks and credenza. The paste-ups were abstract and balanced, so if a large element such as a desk was placed on one side of the collage, it would be balanced by an element of a similar proportion such as a sofa at the opposite end of the board. These collages convey the feeling of a space and proved to be an effective client presentation tool. This technique was successful because it expressed the experience of a space more accurately than a drawing and was simple to understand. Because texture was a significant element in Knoll’s designs, by placing samples of fabrics onto the paste-up board, she was able to visually and tactilely show her ideas which reinforced her vision for creating stimulating, humanised interiors. This communication method was vital in convincing clients to move towards modernised workspaces. Paste-ups present a correspondence between their graphic elements and the spatial elements of furniture layouts, textures and colours of her complete office and showroom spaces.
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