Charles Pfister

Background

Charles Pfister is described by Knoll as a celebrated interior designer. He earned a B.A. in Architecture from the University of California and worked on the staff of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's interior design department for 15 years, where he led the interiors group.

Signature Style

His personal design philosophy, in Knoll's words, was "restrained elegance". The Knoll shop says he sought to design "useful, sculptural, wonderfully constructed objects" and to create "opulence without waste".

Notable Works

• The Pfister Lounge Collection for Knoll, created while he was at SOM, with production beginning in 1971
• Interiors for Royal Dutch Shell's headquarters in The Hague, Deutsche Bank's public areas in Frankfurt, the Citicorp building in London and the United Overseas Bank in Singapore

Legacy

In 1981 he established his own firm with offices in San Francisco and London, and Knoll says he earned recognition for interior design, graphics, product design and architecture. He was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1986, according to the Knoll shop.