Florence Knoll Seating
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.
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
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1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
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1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
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20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
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20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Metal, Chrome
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Upholstery, Fabric, Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Cowhide
Mid-20th Century German Florence Knoll Seating
Metal, Steel
1960s Central American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
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1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Aluminum
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
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1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
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1960s Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Iron
1960s American Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
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1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Steel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Stainless Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Steel
1960s North American Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Aluminum
1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
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Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
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1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Iron
Early 2000s American Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Brazilian Florence Knoll Seating
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Late 20th Century Brazilian Florence Knoll Seating
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2010s American Florence Knoll Seating
Wool
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Steel, Chrome
2010s Italian Florence Knoll Seating
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21st Century and Contemporary Florence Knoll Seating
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Mid-20th Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Steel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Steel
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Chrome
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
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1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Fabric, Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Chrome
1930s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Fabric
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Steel, Chrome
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Stainless Steel
1950s American Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Chrome
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Steel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Chrome
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Leather
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Velvet
1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Seating
Maple
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Fabric, Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Seating
Fabric, Wood
Florence Knoll seating for sale on 1stDibs
Creators Similar to Florence Knoll
- Who is Florence Knoll?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Florence 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, 2022To 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.
- Where does Florence Knoll live?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Florence 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, 2022Florence 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 ExpertMarch 22, 2022No, 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.