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Florence Knoll Relax

Early Florence Knoll Relaxed Sofa with Paul Smith Maharam Upholstery
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Raleigh, NC
A design classic by Florence Knoll. A stunning vintage example newly upholstered in Paul Smith
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Chrome

Knoll Studio “Florence Knoll Relax” Sofa & 2 Armchair Suite in “Volo” Leather
Located in Barrowford, GB
Knoll” suite of seating, consisting of a 3-Seat Relaxed-Sofa and 2 Lounge Relaxed-Chairs from the world
Category

2010s Sofas

Materials

Leather

Relax by Florence Knoll for Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Milano, IT
The Florence Relax sofa by Florence Knoll for Knoll marked a turning point in American furniture
Category

2010s Italian Sofas

Materials

Metal

Relax by Florence Knoll for Knoll
Relax by Florence Knoll for Knoll
$8,182
H 34.65 in W 90.56 in D 31.5 in
Knoll Florence Relaxed 3-Seater Sofa
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Offered is a brand new, never used Knoll Florence Relaxed 3-Seater Sofa — an authentic original
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Metal, Stainless Steel, Chrome

Knoll Florence Relaxed 3-Seater Sofa
Knoll Florence Relaxed 3-Seater Sofa
$12,235
H 31.5 in W 91 in D 35 in
Knoll Florence Relaxed Two-Seater Sofa
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Designed by Florence Knoll in 1954, this iconic two-seater reflects her architectural approach to
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Metal, Stainless Steel, Chrome

Knoll Florence Relaxed Two-Seater Sofa
Knoll Florence Relaxed Two-Seater Sofa
$6,650
H 31.25 in W 63 in D 35 in
Modernist Biscuit Tufted 'Relaxed' Sofa in Holly Hunt Fabric by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in New York, NY
Florence Knoll, originating from the United States, Circa 2000. Featuring a chrome frame and supports in
Category

Early 2000s American Modern Sofas

Materials

Fabric

Recent Sales

Florence Knoll Sofa with Down Cushions
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Beautiful Florence knoll Relaxed Sofa with custom cushions added. This sofa was purchased directly
Category

2010s American Sofas

Materials

Steel

Florence Knoll Sofa with Down Cushions
Florence Knoll Sofa with Down Cushions
H 31.25 in W 90.5 in D 35 in
Knoll Dusky Pink Fabric Relax Sofa by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Basildon, London
Introducing the Knoll Dusky Pink Fabric Relax Sofa, a timeless piece designed by the renowned
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas

Materials

Fabric

Florence Knoll for Knoll Dusky Pink Fabric Relax Sofa
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Basildon, London
Originally designed by Florence Knoll in 1954, this sofa is a fantastic example of the modern
Category

2010s Italian Scandinavian Modern Sofas

Materials

Fabric

Relax 3-seater leather bench by Florence Knoll for Knoll International 2000s
By Florence Knoll
Located in Sas van Gent, NL
Classic design by Florence Knoll, a Relax three-seat bench by Knoll studio finished in Volo leather
Category

Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Style of Florence Knoll Office Lounge Chair Relaxed Tuxedo Armchair 1950s Knoll
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Club Chair Florence Knoll Office Lounge Club Chair Relaxed Tuxedo Armchair Chrome Base Tan
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Chrome

Pair of Knoll Studio Relax Sofa by Florence Knoll Beige Sand Leather
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Aachen, NW
These timeless iconic sofas were designed in 1954 by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll
Category

Early 2000s Italian Sofas

Materials

Stainless Steel

Knoll 3 Seater Relax Sofa by Florence Knoll Mid Brown Cognac 1970s
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Aachen, NW
This timeless iconic sofa was designed in 1954 by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll in the 1970s
Category

Vintage 1970s American Sofas

Materials

Stainless Steel

1950s Style of Knoll Office Club Chair Relaxed Tuxedo Armchair
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Attribution Knoll Industries 1950s Office Lounge Chair Relaxed Tuxedo Armchair Chrome Base Tan
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll for Knoll Beige Fabric Relaxed Three Seater Sofa
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Basildon, London
Originally designed by Florence Knoll in 1954, this sofa is a fantastic example of the modern
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Scandinavian Modern Sofas

Materials

Fabric

Florence Knoll Relax Leather Three-Seat Sofa by Knoll Studio
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Florence Knoll relax leather three-seat sofa by Knoll Studio Stunning Florence Knoll for Knoll
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Settees

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll Relax Leather Three-Seat Sofa by Knoll Studio
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Florence Knoll Relax leather three-seat sofa by Knoll Studio Stunning Florence Knoll for Knoll
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Settees

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll Relax Leather Armchairs 1-Place Pair by Knoll Studio, USA
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Florence Knoll relax leather armchairs pair by Knoll Studio A pair of '1-Place' one seater sofas
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll Relax Leather Armchairs 1-Place, Pair by Knoll Studio, USA
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Florence Knoll relax leather armchairs pair by Knoll Studio A pair of '1-Place' one-seat sofas
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
learned from her mentor, Mies van der Rohe.          The elegant and refined Florence Knoll Relax 2
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Settees

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
H 31.49 in W 62.59 in D 32.28 in
Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
learned from her mentor, Mies van der Rohe. The elegant and refined Florence Knoll Relax 2-seat sofa
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Settees

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
H 31.49 in W 62.59 in D 32.28 in
Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
learned from her mentor, Mies van der Rohe. The elegant and refined Florence Knoll Relax 2-seat sofa
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Settees

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
Florence Knoll Leather Sofa by Knoll Studio
H 31.49 in W 62.59 in D 32.28 in
Knoll International & Florence Knoll Banc relax
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Designed by Florence Knoll in 1954, this bench is featured in the collection that bears her name
Category

Vintage 1950s Other Office Chairs and Desk Chairs

Materials

Leather

Knoll International & Florence Knoll Banc relax
Knoll International & Florence Knoll Banc relax
H 16.54 in W 19.69 in L 16.54 in

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Florence Knoll for sale on 1stDibs

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 skillfully realized office plans and polished, efficient designs for sofas, credenzas, desks and other furnishings.

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.

Florence Knoll's main work came as head of the Knoll Planning Group, designing custom office interiors for clients such as IBM and CBS. The furniture she 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.

Find vintage Florence Knoll sofas, benches, armchairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Finding the Right Sofas for You

Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus. 

The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. Bench-like seating in Ancient Greece, which was padded with soft blankets, was called klinai. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.

In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness

Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.

With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.

Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.