The greatest challenge for any designer is to create a chair. It must have a beautiful shape and be very comfortable to sit in, and all that with strong and unique aesthetics at the same time. If this tricky task if fulfilled, the successful design often becomes an icon.

Like the Berlin Chair, which Meinhard von Gerkan created in 1975 for the VIP lounge at the Berlin-Tegel Airport, designed by his colleague Volkwin Marg. Or the FK by Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm, with its characteristic three-pointed cross-foot and robust leather shell. The shell armchair is considered the epitome of minimalism since its introduction in 1967.

But seemingly nondescript designs, such as the unconventional Vostra, are also appreciated anew in the Walter Knoll Classic Edition. When it premiered in 1949, the little [beechwood] armchair with the belts at its back became the symbol of upheaval, a synonym for modern living. And that is exactly what all eight models in the Classic Edition have in common: every design was ground-breaking, a small revolution that caused an uproar in the decorating industry. And in spite of their stylistic diversity, they are all Made in Germany – perfect in form and workmanship, just classic Walter Knoll!