Her modernist aesthetic was known for clean lines and clear geometries that were humanized with textures, organic shapes, and colour.

[3] She was placed under the care of Emile Tessin, who had been designated by Mina Schust as Knoll's legal guardian in the event of her death.

Together they designed a home which integrated interior and exterior, sparking her interest in architecture and bringing her to the attention of Eliel Saarinen, the Cranbrook Academy of Art President.

In the summer of 1938 she met Alvar Aalto, who praised Architectural Association in London as a "terrific school," Knoll went on to attend it in 1938-1939.

[6] In 1940, she moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and worked briefly as an unpaid apprentice for Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer.

Though her studies had been repeatedly interrupted by ill health and international events, Knoll was determined to finish her degree.

She managed to get architects including Eero Saarinen, Marcel Breuer, Pierre Jeanneret and Hans Bellman to design furniture for Knoll.

Knoll had the sculptor, Harry Bertoia spend two years in his studio to see if he could translate his metal work into furniture resulting in his well known wire chairs.

[7] In the ten years since she had taken primary responsibility for Knoll, she had doubled the size of the company to become one of the most influential design businesses in the world.

[4] During the post-war period, the United States experienced an office building boom, and the Knoll Planning Unit was well positioned to take advantage as it began offering innovative full-service design solutions for office interiors including everything from space planning to furniture selection.

[5][12][3][13] The Unit's breakthrough came from designing for the CBS president, Frank Stanton, who had been impressed by the Knoll Showrooms.

The preparation and training of interior designers earned the Planning Unit the moniker "Shu U" after Knoll's nickname.

[8] Knoll replaced the old executive desk with light and sleek modern designs, as well as straightening its diagonal positioning.

[6] The unit created some of the most innovative design for office interiors during the post-war period, largely due to Knoll's design aesthetic of humanized modernism, in which Knoll brought color and texture to interiors inspired by modernism, making them more comfortable for everyday use.

This "softer modernism" with color and organic shapes, which was also practiced by Charles and Ray Eames as well as Eero Saarinen, was more appealing to a general public.

[4] Knoll brought in architecture, ergonomics, efficiency, and space planning to her comprehensive interior designs.

[5][16] A "paste-up" was a general graphic-arts term for any draft or finished mechanical flat art, traditionally using an adhesive commonly used in fashion and set design.

Her paste-ups were small representational plans of the space with fabric swatches, wood chips and finishes attached to represent furniture and other details.

[4] The paste-ups were essential in overcoming resistance to change, they gave executives something they could identify with, making them feel comfortable in adopting Knoll's new aesthetics.

[17] Nonetheless, almost half of the furniture pieces in the Knoll collection were her designs including tables, desks, chairs, sofas, benches and stools.

The distinctive features of Knoll's furniture designs were their sleek silhouettes and clear geometries, reflecting her architectural training and interests.

She felt that expertise in furniture design and architecture exceed the common skill of an interior decorator.