Jens Risom

Danish designer Jens Risom (1916–2016) moved to the U.S. in 1938 and served as Director of Interior Design at Dan Cooper, Inc. in New York for two years before freelancing in furniture and textiles. He collaborated with Hans Knoll on several projects. In 1942, they launched the first Knoll Catalog featuring 15 pieces by Risom, the first furniture commissioned by Knoll. Adapting to wartime shortages, he creatively used wood scraps and rejected nylon parachute straps to create iconic modern furniture. In 1943, Risom left Knoll to join the U.S. Army. After returning in 1946, he founded Jens Risom Design, which he ran until the early 1970s before starting a design consultancy in Connecticut.