Florence Knoll Three Seat Sofa
View Similar Items
Florence Knoll Three Seat Sofa
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 90 in (228.6 cm)Depth: 29 in (73.66 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1952
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:West Palm Beach, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: 1302048432670
Florence Knoll
Architect, furniture designer, interior designer, entrepreneur — Florence Knoll had a subtle but profound influence on the course of mid-century American modernism. Dedicated to functionality and organization, and never flamboyant, Knoll shaped the ethos of the postwar business world with her polished, efficient design and skillfully realized office plans.
Knoll had perhaps the most thorough design education of any of her peers. Florence Schust was orphaned at age 12, and her guardian sent her to Kingswood, a girl’s boarding school that is part of the Cranbrook Educational Community in suburban Detroit. Her interest in design brought her to the attention of Eliel Saarinen, the Finnish architect and head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Saarinen and his wife took the talented child under their wing, and she became close to their son, the future architect Eero Saarinen. While a student at the academy, Florence befriended artist-designer Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames. Later, she studied under three of the Bauhaus masters who emigrated to the United States. She worked as an apprentice in the Boston architectural offices of Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer; Ludwig Mies van der Rohe taught her at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
In 1941, she met Hans Knoll, whose eponymous furniture company was just getting off the ground. They married in 1946, and her design sense and his business skills soon made Knoll Inc. a leading firm in its field. Florence signed up the younger Saarinen as a designer, and would develop pieces by Bertoia, Mies and the artist Isamu Noguchi. Her main work came as head of the Knoll Planning Group, designing custom office interiors for clients such as IBM and CBS. The furniture Florence created for these spaces reflects her Bauhaus training: the pieces are pure functional design, exactingly built; their only ornament from the materials, such as wood and marble. Her innovations — the oval conference table, for example, conceived as a way to ensure clear sightlines among all seated at a meeting — were always in the service of practicality.
Since her retirement in 1965, Knoll received the National Medal of Arts, among other awards; in 2004 the Philadelphia Museum of Art mounted the exhibition “Florence Knoll: Defining Modern” — well deserved accolades for a strong, successful design and business pioneer. As demonstrated on these pages, the simplicity of Knoll’s furniture is her work’s great virtue: they fit into any interior design scheme.
- Florence Knoll TableBy Florence KnollLocated in West Palm Beach, FLCategory
Vintage 1970s American Side Tables
$1,400 - 2 Florence Knoll Upholstered BenchesBy Florence KnollLocated in West Palm Beach, FL2 Florence Knoll benches Original red upholstery. Labeled Sold individually, price is for 1 bench.Category
Vintage 1970s North American Benches
MaterialsSteel
$3,500 / item - Florence Knoll Leather BenchBy Florence KnollLocated in West Palm Beach, FLFlorence Knoll Dark Brown Button Tufted Bench Good original surface Manufacturers label presentCategory
Vintage 1960s American Benches
MaterialsLeather
- Modernage SofaBy Modernage Furniture CompanyLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGreat Modernage Sofa,reupholstered in chenille fabricCategory
20th Century American Sofas
$5,500 - George Nelson Marshmallow SofaBy George NelsonLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGeorge Nelson Marshmallow sofa, model 5670 Manufactured by Herman Miller A great example of an iconic form.Category
Vintage 1950s American Sofas
MaterialsChrome, Stainless Steel, Steel
- Vladimir Kagan Swan Back SofaBy Vladimir KaganLocated in West Palm Beach, FLVladimir Kagan Swan back Sofa faux leather and steelCategory
20th Century American Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery
- Florence Knoll Three-Seat SofaBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Chicago, ILFlorence Knoll Three-Seat Sofa reupholstered with Great Plains "Teddy" warm silver heavy boucle made of alpaca, and wool. Solid maple-turned tapered legs.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBouclé, Maple
- Florence Knoll 3-Seat SofaBy Florence KnollLocated in Munich, DEFlorence Knoll 3-seat sofa. Nice original condition.Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
$2,184 Sale Price44% Off - Early Florence Knoll 3-Seat Model 26 SofaBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYVery early Florence Knoll sofa, circa late 1940s, in vintage oatmeal nubby wool Knoll fabric, with down seat and back cushions. The six inset legs make...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsTextile, Maple
- Florence Knoll 2-Seater Sofa, Classic Mid Century Modern, KnollBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Buffalo, NYVintage Florence Knoll 2 seater 'lounge series' sofa with original 2nd generation upholstery in a coarse woven off-white mottled wool fabric. This sofa d...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsChrome
- Florence Knoll SofaBy Florence KnollLocated in Dallas, TXVery early Florence Knoll sofa circa 1950 completely restored including all new 8 way hand tied springs, all new high grade foam cushions and new ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMaple, Textile
$5,400 Sale Price32% Off - Attributed to Florence Knoll Three-Seat Mid Century Sofa in black upholsteryBy Florence KnollLocated in Chicago, ILAttributed to Florence Knoll Three-seat sofa in black upholstery. Circa late 20th or 21st century. 84.5" W Unmarked on the bottom. Condition: Overall very good condition. No rips o...Category
Early 2000s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
10 Trailblazing Female Designers
From pioneering visionaries to contemporary talents, get to know some of the most important women in design.
Remembering Design Visionary Florence Knoll Bassett (1917-2019)
A loving look back at the life and career of a doyenne of mid-century-modern style, who died last week at the age of 101.