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Walter Knoll Sofas

German

Inspired by the Bauhaus — founded in 1919 by Walter GropiusWalter Knoll decided to bet big on modernism. He launched his eponymous German furniture maker in 1925, and the company has been going strong ever since.

Most design lovers are familiar with Knoll, the manufacturer of furniture by Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and other modernist giants. It was founded by Hans Knoll in 1941 and led after his death by his wife, Florence Knoll, the doyenne of postwar American office interiors. In recent years, the company has added collections by Maya Lin, Rem Koolhaas, Frank Gehry and David Adjaye, among others, and encouraged customers to do what some of them had been doing all along: use Knoll’s “office furniture” at home.

Fewer Americans are familiar with Walter Knoll, the company Hans’s father founded in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1925 and later moved to nearby Herrenberg. That company has existed in the shadow of the larger U.S.-based Knoll for decades.

Both companies descended from the German manufacturer of ornate leather goods established by Wilhelm Knoll in 1866. In 1907, Wilhelm’s sons, Willy and Walter, took over the father’s business and started producing leather club chairs. Five years later, the company introduced its Nestra line of stripped-down wood and leather seating, foreshadowing the family’s future innovations.

In 1925, when he was 50, Walter Knoll launched the Walter Knoll Company, which soon released the revolutionary Prodomo line of chairs, whose upholstered seats and backs are supported by tubular metal frames. Other lightweight Walter Knoll pieces were used in the passenger compartment of the Hindenburg zeppelin.

In 1927, Walter Knoll furnished five apartments designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the Weissenhof Estate, 21 prototypes of “workers’ housing of the future” constructed as part of an exhibition in Stuttgart. A decade later, Walter’s son Hans, then 24, traveled to the United States to market his father’s furniture and to make a new life for himself in the New World. But inspired by his encounters with Jens Risom — a Danish-born designer who furthered Scandinavian modernism in the United States — Hans broke away from Walter, creating Knoll Associates (now known simply as Knoll). Florence Schust (later to become Hans’s wife) joined him in the company in 1943, and soon they were working with mid-century modern icons such as Saarinen and Bertoia on new designs and licensing Mies’s Barcelona chair.

After the war, with his factories destroyed and labor and materials in short supply, Walter Knoll turned to Hans for help. Hans sent over several pieces from his Vostra line, designed by Risom. Walter replaced the web seats with upholstery and launched his version of the Vostra at the New Living exhibition in Cologne in 1949. It became hugely successful, persuading many Germans still accustomed to traditional furniture to give modernism a go.

Walter Knoll retired in 1964, but his namesake firm continued growing in Germany. Just like the American Knoll, Walter Knoll has found that some customers want to use pieces originally meant as office furniture in their houses. In fact, these pieces give living and dining rooms a crispness that almost no residential furniture can match.

Find vintage Walter Knoll lounge chairs, sofas, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Walter Knoll
Pair of Two Black Leather Modular Sofa Chairs by Walter Knoll, Germany, 1970s
By Walter Knoll
Located in Praha, CZ
- Germany, around 1970s - Good original condition with patina - Made of leather - marked by manufacturer jr.
Category

1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Leather

Lord Norman Foster Model 500 Black Leather 2 Seat Settee Sofa for Walter Knoll
By Walter Knoll, Sir Norman Foster
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is a very rare and unusual Walter Knoll 500 settee in black leather, designed by Lord Norman Foster, the renowned British architect. Two sofa...
Category

2010s American Modern Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Steel

Walter Knoll for Sirino Brayton Leather Sofa
By Walter Knoll, Brayton International
Located in Ferndale, MI
Beautifully stitched sand tone leather couch. Leather and cushions are in fine condition. Designed by Walter Knoll for Brayton international. Brayton was absorbed by steel case in th...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Leather, Upholstery

Preben Fabricius for Walter Knoll Cordovan Leather and Chromed Steel Sofa
By Preben Fabricius, Walter Knoll
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Three-seater sofa designed as part of the "710 Series" by Preben Fabricius for Walter Knoll (Germany, 1972). Featuring loose cushions retaining their original down feather filling an...
Category

1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Large German Modular Sofa by Walter Knoll
By Walter Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large German modular sofa by Walter Knoll.
Category

Mid-20th Century German Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Fabric

Cordovan Leather and Chrome-Steel Sofa by Preben Fabricius for Walter Knoll
By Preben Fabricius, Walter Knoll
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Three-seater sofa designed as part of the "710 Series" by Preben Fabricius for Walter Knoll (Germany, 1972). Featuring loose cushions retaining their original down feather filling an...
Category

1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Two-Seat Leather Sofa by Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm, Walter Knoll
By Jørgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricius, Walter Knoll
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Two- seat leather sofa by Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm, Walter Knoll edition. 2 sofas available.
Category

1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Steel

Two-Seat Leather Sofa by Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm, Walter Knoll, Pair
By Jørgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricius, Walter Knoll
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of two-seat leather sofa by Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm, Walter Knoll edition. Two sofas available.
Category

1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Steel

Walter Knoll Model Studio Black Leathersofa Design Jürgen Lange
By Jürgen Lange, Walter Knoll
Located in Munich, Bavaria
This sofa was designed by Jürgen Lange in the late 1970s and was manufactured by Walter Knoll. Model Studio with black semianilne leather. A great Germa...
Category

1970s German Modern Vintage Walter Knoll Sofas

Materials

Upholstery, Leather

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Previously Available Items
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Sleek Norman Foster for Walter Knoll Leather Sofa / Daybed 'Foster 510'
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Midcentury Black Leather Two-Seat Sofa by Walter Knoll, Germany, 1960s
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Walter Knoll sofas for sale on 1stDibs.

Walter Knoll sofas are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of leather and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Walter Knoll sofas, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original sofas by Walter Knoll were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider sofas by COR, Dieter Rams, and Team Form AG. Prices for Walter Knoll sofas can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,509 and can go as high as $14,600, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $6,713.
Questions About Walter Knoll Sofas
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    A Knoll sofa, or a Knole sofa, is an interesting piece of furniture that’s believed to have its origins in the 1600s and to be the precursor to the modern sofa. It features two side-by-side cushions and arms that are as high as the back of the sofa. The most interesting feature is that these arms can often be tied back or dropped to change the profile of the sofa. Find an assortment of Knole sofas from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Knoll maintains manufacturing plants in the United States, Canada, and Italy. Countless designers have worked for Knoll over the years to create exquisite furniture that’s beloved by collectors worldwide. Shop a collection of antique and contemporary Knoll chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.

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