Skip to main content

Heli Sofa

Heli 3-Seater Leather Sofa by Otto Zapf for Knoll, 1980s
By Knoll, Otto Zapf
Located in Radomsko, Województwo łódzkie
Introducing the Heli Sofa, a design marvel by Otto Zapf, crafted exclusively for Knoll
Category

Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Sofas

Materials

Leather

1990s Heli Three-Seat Sofa by Otto Zapf for Knoll International in Brown Leather
By Otto Zapf, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an original Heli three-seat sofa, initially designed by Otto Zapf for Knoll International
Category

1990s Czech Modern Sofas

Materials

Steel, Aluminum, Enamel

People Also Browsed

Mid-Century Italian Alanda Sofa by Paolo Piva for B&b Italia / C&b Italia, 1980s
By B&B Italia, Paolo Piva
Located in Radomsko, Województwo łódzkie
Adjustable sofa in good condition, all mechanism work well.
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Steel

Knoll Pfister Black Leather Sofa, 1971
By Charles Pfister, Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Knoll Pfister Black Leather Sofa, 1971. Original leather
Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Leather

Knoll Pfister Black Leather Sofa, 1971
Knoll Pfister Black Leather Sofa, 1971
H 28.5 in W 86.75 in D 33 in
Mid-Century Modern Black Leather Sofa by Charles Pfister for Knoll
By Charles Pfister
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very Good Original Condition Designer: Charles Pfister Manufacturer: Knoll Materials: Original Black Leather
Category

Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Leather

Get Updated with New Arrivals
Save "Heli Sofa", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.

Knoll for sale on 1stDibs

As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.

The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.

Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chaircreated by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.

As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.

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.