Dorothy Cosonas Leaves Knoll; Mary Murphy Takes Over Design for Knoll & Maharam
In July, Herman Miller and Knoll Announced New Name: MillerKnoll
January 3, 2022
Mary Murphy
MIAMI—It didn’t take very long for chief Knoll
designer Dorothy Cosonas to leave the newly
created MillerKnoll, the new name of the merged companies of Herman Miller and Knoll.
The merger was fait accompli July 19 and Cosonas left around Thanksgiving, around four months after the merger.
In 2005, Dorothy Cosonas came to Knoll as the Creative Director of both KnollTextiles and KnollLuxe. She is a graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology in New York with dual degrees in fine art and textile design.
Her collections can still be seen on the Knoll website.
Her next move is not known.
Mary Murphy was the Senior Vice President of Design at Maharam, which she joined in 1992 after a stint at Herman Miller.
New York-based contract jobber Maharam was acquired by Herman Miller in 2013.
Murphy graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design’s master’s program and went on to become an interior designer where she gained her knowledge about textiles. She has guided the Maharam Design Studio’s development of commercial and residential textiles.
So, this is a big move up for Murphy.
The contract/hospitality business has been hard hit so it’s no surprise that this merger occurred.
Economies of scale always rule so one design head is better than two!
Zeeland, Mich based Herman Miller (NASDAQ: MLHR) completed the acquisition of Knoll, Inc. (“Knoll”), on July 19, 2021, and Casonas left
MillerKnoll around Thanksgiving.
MillerKnoll was created in 2021 from the combination of Herman Miller and Knoll, and includes brands Colebrook Bosson Saunders, DatesWeiser, DWR, Edelman Leather, Fully, Geiger, HAY, Holly Hunt, KnollExtra, Knoll Office, KnollStudio, KnollTextiles, Maars Living Walls, Maharam, Muuto, Naughtone, and Spinneybeck|FilzFelt.
designer Dorothy Cosonas to leave the newly
created MillerKnoll, the new name of the merged companies of Herman Miller and Knoll.
The merger was fait accompli July 19 and Cosonas left around Thanksgiving, around four months after the merger.
In 2005, Dorothy Cosonas came to Knoll as the Creative Director of both KnollTextiles and KnollLuxe. She is a graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology in New York with dual degrees in fine art and textile design.
Her collections can still be seen on the Knoll website.
Her next move is not known.
Mary Murphy was the Senior Vice President of Design at Maharam, which she joined in 1992 after a stint at Herman Miller.
New York-based contract jobber Maharam was acquired by Herman Miller in 2013.
Murphy graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design’s master’s program and went on to become an interior designer where she gained her knowledge about textiles. She has guided the Maharam Design Studio’s development of commercial and residential textiles.
So, this is a big move up for Murphy.
The contract/hospitality business has been hard hit so it’s no surprise that this merger occurred.
Economies of scale always rule so one design head is better than two!
Zeeland, Mich based Herman Miller (NASDAQ: MLHR) completed the acquisition of Knoll, Inc. (“Knoll”), on July 19, 2021, and Casonas left
MillerKnoll around Thanksgiving.
MillerKnoll was created in 2021 from the combination of Herman Miller and Knoll, and includes brands Colebrook Bosson Saunders, DatesWeiser, DWR, Edelman Leather, Fully, Geiger, HAY, Holly Hunt, KnollExtra, Knoll Office, KnollStudio, KnollTextiles, Maars Living Walls, Maharam, Muuto, Naughtone, and Spinneybeck|FilzFelt.