Neil Frankel

Award-winning Chicago architect and furniture designer Neil Frankel is known as a true master of clean design. A graduate of the University of Illinois architecture program, he served as Director of Interiors at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s Chicago office before joining the faculty of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

In 1998 he and his wife, Cindy Coleman, founded their Chicago-based design firm, Frankel + Coleman. Elected to the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1994, Frankel is celebrated for his remarkable versatility, evidenced in his designs for numerous corporate, performing arts, exhibition, education and residential spaces.

In 1999, Knoll commissioned Frankel to develop a new line that bridged the gap between lounge and task chairs ― a solution suited to the fast-paced, informal environment of the computer-age workplace. Mobility was his central consideration, leading him to design a unique series of wheeled chairs and tables.