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Florence Knoll

American, 1917-2019

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.

Average Sold Price
$4,076
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Iconic Designs from Florence Knoll
Explore timeless pieces that have earned their place in history.
Florence Knoll Sofa
Florence Knoll Sofa
Florence Knoll Lounge Chair
Florence Knoll Lounge Chair
Florence Knoll Bench
Florence Knoll Bench
Florence Knoll Settee
Florence Knoll Settee
Early Midcentury Florence Knoll Bench 36''
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
For your consideration is this exceptional midcentury bench featuring leather tufted cushions on a chrome frame. The height is 17 inches and the depth is 18 inches. The total length ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll

Materials

Chrome

Florence Knoll Solid Chromed Steel Tables with Floating Walnut Laminate Tops
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Original solid steel 24 inch square side tables by Florence Knoll with floating laminate walnut tops. We have multiple tables that can be used tide by side as a longer coffee table. ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Rosewood Cabinet by Florence Knoll for Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Dallas, TX
A rosewood credenza with finished back and marble top. Designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll.
Category

1960s Vintage Florence Knoll

Materials

Rosewood

Mid-Century Modern Early Knoll Walnut 2-Door Credenza
By Florence Knoll
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Diminutive credenza from the early 1950s. Walnut top is new veneer replacing worn Formica. Leather pulls a signature Florence Knoll design mark. Two sliding doors open to reveal two ...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll

Materials

Steel

Florence Knoll 2-Seater Sofa, Classic Mid Century Modern, Knoll
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage 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

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll

Materials

Chrome

Oval Green Marble Dining Table by Florence Knoll, United States, 1960s
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Antwerp, BE
Manufactured in the United States during the 1960s, this oval dining table designed by Florence Knoll features a timeless design. The tabletop, carved from solid green marble, gracef...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll

Materials

Marble, Steel

Large Florence Knoll Teak Boat Shaped Dining Table
By Nordiska Kompaniet, Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Dronten, NL
Rare Florence Knoll for Knoll International model 578 dining table, circa 1958. Measures: 8 ft. long, seats 8-10 people. Large conference table with boat shaped top in teak and enam...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll

Materials

Steel

Florence Knoll - Sideboard, 1952 Seagrass & Teak by Knoll International
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Munster, NRW
Extremely rare wall-hung sideboard (Mod°123) from 1952, designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International - this version was produced in 1952 in a small edition by Knoll in Stuttgar...
Category

1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll

Materials

Seagrass, Teak

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Creators Similar to Florence Knoll

More Florence Knoll Designs
Florence Knoll Sofa
Florence Knoll Sofa
Average Price
$7,479
Number Available
16
Florence Knoll Sofa
By Florence Knoll
Materials
Fabric, Metal, Chrome
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Although Michigan native Florence Knoll (1917–2019) modestly described her furniture as “meat and potatoes” designs that were largely “fill-in pieces” for the Knoll Associates catalog, works like the Florence Knoll sofa demonstrate her artful expression of modern proportions. Introduced in 1954, the sofa was made during the American designer and entrepreneur’s direction of the Knoll Planning Unit, the company’s pioneering “design consultant service” that would define the look of the postwar w...
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Florence Knoll Lounge Chair
Florence Knoll Lounge Chair
Average Price
$5,929
Number Available
11
Florence Knoll Lounge Chair
By Florence Knoll
Materials
Fabric, Metal, Steel, Upholstery
Styles
Mid Century Modern
It doesn’t get more timeless or starkly modern than the boxy chrome-footed Florence Knoll lounge chair.Designed in 1954 by Florence Knoll Bassett (1917–2019) for the legendary furniture manufacturer Knoll Inc. that she helped establish with her husband Hans Knoll, the chair is representative of all her signature gestures, from the sturdy construction to the button tufting, and like the rest of her work, it embodies the very essence of modernism.In many ways, Knoll was destined to become a hou...
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Florence Knoll Bench
Florence Knoll Bench
Average Price
$7,867
Number Available
11
Florence Knoll Bench
By Florence Knoll
Materials
Metal, Steel, Chrome, Wood
Styles
Mid Century Modern
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Florence Knoll Settee
Florence Knoll Settee
Average Price
$7,249
Number Available
3
Florence Knoll Settee
By Florence Knoll
Materials
Metal, Fabric, Animal Skin, Chrome, Leather, Stainless Steel, Steel, Upholstery, Velvet
Styles
Mid Century Modern
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Florence Knoll furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Florence Knoll furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Florence Knoll furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Florence Knoll were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Adrian Pearsall, Harvey Probber, and Craft Associates. Prices for Florence Knoll furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $600 and can go as high as $30,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,800.
Questions About Florence Knoll
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Florence Knoll was an architect and furniture designer who greatly influenced mid-century design. She established the furniture company Knoll, Inc., which continues to manufacture pieces inspired by her designs. Knoll died on January 25, 2019, at the age of 101. Find a collection of Florence Knoll furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    To pronounce Florence Knoll, say "FLO-rens Noll." The "K" in the designer's last name is silent. Florence Knoll's maiden name was Florence Marguerite Schust, pronounced "shusht." She changed her name after marrying Hans Knoll in 1946. Find a range of Florence Knoll furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Florence Knoll lived in the U.S. throughout her life. She was born in Saginaw, Michigan, on May 24, 1917, and she died in Coral Gables, Florida, on January 25, 2019. From 1940 to 1941, she attended the Chicago Armour Institute in Chicago, Illinois. After that, she lived and worked in New York City for many years. On 1stDibs, find a range of Florence Knoll furniture.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Florence Knoll made a number of well-known furniture designs and founded the company Knoll, Inc. Some of her most acclaimed pieces include the Florence Knoll lounge chair, the Florence Knoll sofa, the Florence Knoll bench and the Florence Knoll settee. Shop a variety of Florence Knoll furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2024
    What Florence Knoll called the Womb chair after it was created is unknown. However, its creator Eero Saarinen stated that Knoll inspired him to make the piece by asking him to design the most comfortable chair ever, saying specifically that she wanted something that felt like "a basket full of pillows." Presented with the challenge, Saarinen went primal. What, the designer figured, better signifies the very essence of comfort than the womb? "It was designed on the theory that a great number of people have never really felt comfortable and secure since they left the womb,” the designer said of his chair. Find a selection of vintage Womb chairs on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    No, Florence Knoll didn't usually put a number on her pieces. To identify Florence Knoll furniture, look for a tag or mark that bears the name "Knoll" or "Knoll, Inc." On chairs, the labels are usually on the bottom cushion. On 1stDibs, find a collection of expertly vetted Florence Knoll furniture.

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