Johnston Marklee

Los Angeles–based architects Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee, founders of the internationally acclaimed firm Johnston Marklee, have spent more than 25 years shaping contemporary architecture with their distinctive use of curved, scalloped, and volumetric forms. Since establishing their practice in 1998, the duo has become known for creating buildings that balance sculptural presence with refined spatial clarity - an approach now seamlessly extended into their debut production furniture piece, the Biboni™ Sofa from Knoll.

Johnston Marklee’s portfolio spans residential, cultural, and commercial architecture around the world. Their notable built works include the Vault House, Oxnard, California, Pavilion of Six Views, Shanghai, China, Dropbox Global Headquarters, San Francisco, California. Their projects explore how form, volume, void, and curvature interact with light and shadow - principles that deeply inform both their buildings and their new foray into furniture design.

For Johnston and Lee, interior environments are microcosms of urban design. They describe arranging furniture in a space as akin to placing buildings within a city: every object establishes relationships, guides movement, and defines how people inhabit a space. This holistic approach means furniture is never an afterthough - it's an integral architectural element. Their past custom furniture commissions include:

• A series of bespoke benches and tables for the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston, Texas

• Integrated architectural built-ins for the Knoll Store in West Hollywood, California

These pieces were crafted exclusively for architectural clients, making the Biboni™ Sofa their first furniture design released for production for the wider public.