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.
Pair of Vintage Eero Saarinen Tulip Swiveling Stools for Knoll
By Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precision. With over 17 years of artisanal exper...
Metal
Florence Knoll, Model 75 Stools, Birch, Iron, Knoll Associates, USA, 1948
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of birch and iron stools, model 75, designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll Associates, USA, 1948.
Iron
$9,000 / set
Set of custom ordered Florence Knoll Benches
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Amarillo, TX
Florence Knoll Pair of benches USA 1954 leather, steel Measures: 48 W x 19.5 D x 16.75 H inches Pair of custom-sized Florence Knoll benches in a custom flat steel finish wit...
Steel
Florence Knoll stool / bench in leather for Knoll Associates
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Amarillo, TX
Florence Knoll stool Knoll Associates USA 1984 leather, steel 17 h × 18 w × 18 d inches Vintage piece.
Stainless Steel
Mid-Century Pair of Stools Model 75 by Florence Knoll, 1950
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Saarbruecken, DE
Mid-Century Pair of Stools Model 75 by Florence Knoll, designed 1948 for Knoll Associates, USA.
Metal
$802Sale Price|20% Off
Tabouret modèle "75" de Florence knoll pour Knoll International, 1950
By Florence Knoll
Located in SAINT-SEVER, FR
Tabouret modèle "75" de Florence knoll pour Knoll International Florence KNOLL (1917-2019). Rationnel tabouret modèle "75" à assise circulaire en bois mélaminé noir, piétement tripode en tiges de métal cintrées laquées noir. Édition Knoll 1950...
Metal
Pair of Florence Knoll for Knoll International Black & Silver Bar Stools
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Mid-Century American bar stools standing on black metal, rectangular legs anchored by a silver metal stretcher with seat upholstered in a neutral tone, salt and pepper weave ...
Fabric
$3,850
H 20 in W 30 in D 13 in
Single Custom Channel Tufted Blue Soft Leather Waterfall Stool or Bench, Italy
Located in New York, NY
Single custom made channel tufted blue soft leather waterfall stool or bench, handcrafted in Florence, Italy by an artisan carpenter. One of a kind. Soft Italian leather in a sophist...
Leather, Wood
$740Sale Price|20% Off
H 15.75 in Dm 15 in
Vinyl Seat Eero Saarinen Tulip 'Tm' Stools for Knoll Associates
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Tucson, AZ
Two early Saarinen designed stools with orange or white Vinyl seat cover. The orange one has a rip in the side of the cushion, the white one is in good, vintage condition. We could r...
Aluminum
Warren Platner for Knoll Wire Stool
By Knoll, Warren Platner
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Industrial and organic steel wire stool by Warren Platner from the Platner Collection for Knoll, after 1966. Newly upholstered in a creamy, textural wool. In excellent condition. Cur...
Steel
Pair of Knoll Saarinen Swiveling Tulip Base Stools
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Toledo, OH
Pair of Knoll Saarinen Swiveling Tulip Base Stools. Circa 1970's. Designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll the maker. Mid-Century Modern Style. Recovered b...
Aluminum
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...
Chrome
Donald Knorr Chair for Knoll Associates, 1948
By Knoll, Donald Knorr
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
For your consideration to of six Knorr chairs. Comprised of sheet metal bolted to steel rod legs. This chair is exceptionally rare (a set of six in simply unheard of) Model #132 cha...
Metal
Rare No. 33 Sofa by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Munich, DE
Seldom seen 3-seat version of an iconic design by Florence Knoll.
Velvet
Florence Knoll for Knoll Mid-Century Modern Sofa in Fuchsia
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An iconic sofa designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll in the early 1960s. It features a stainless steel frame with fuchsia tweed upholstery.
Stainless Steel
Rare Florence Knoll Model 65 Slipper Lounge Chair, 1956
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Dronten, NL
Slipper chair designed in 1955 by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll International. Rare Model No. 65, only produced from 1955-1973. We bought this chair directly from the family ...
Chrome
Steelcase Bench in the manner of Florence Knoll
By Steelcase, Florence Knoll
Located in Highland, IN
A handsome and useful piece by Steelcase, this bench is very similar to the design by Florence Knoll. It features a chromed steel base supporting two upholstered seats. Newly restore...
Steel
Florence Knoll for Knoll International Lounge Chair in Teak
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Florence Knoll for Knoll International, lounge chair, model '51', teak, fabric, United States, 1955 This slipper chair model 51 is designed by Florence Knoll. The teak frame of the chair is sleek in form. The angled seat is placed upon the squared-off frame. Maximum seating comfort is ensured by the wide seat and tilted backrest. Florence Knoll (1917-) was trained as an architect and had a sense of style from a very young age. In 1936 she met Alvar Aalto and was trained by Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe. This meant that although she was barely out of her teens, she was educated by the best of the European modernists. When she arrived in New York Knoll worked on interior projects (being the only female) which is how she came to know Hans Knoll. When Florence joined Knoll, the planning unit started. Florence also made sure that the designs where more 'American Modernist' instead of Scandinavian, When Hans Knoll died she...
Fabric, Teak
$3,300
H 29.93 in W 88.59 in D 27.56 in
Florence Knoll for Knoll International Sofa in Blue Upholstery and Steel
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Florence Knoll for Knoll International, sofa, model '67A', steel, fabric, United States, design 1958, production 1960s/70s This sofa model 67A is designed by Florence Knoll for Knol...
Steel
Custom Florence Knoll Bench
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Amarillo, TX
Florence Knoll Bench USA 2017 leather, steel Measures: 48 W x 19.5 D x 16.75 H inches. Custom sized Florence Knoll bench in a custom flat steel finish with leather upholster...
Steel
Florence Knoll Model 75 Stool
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A design by Florence Knoll for Knoll International c.1940s, USA. This Model 75 stool features a birch seat atop of three white iron hairpin legs. A simplistic...
Iron
Early Pair of Stackable Stools Model 75 by Florence Knoll, 1950s
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in La Teste-de-Buch, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Early pair of stackable stools or stackable side tables by Florence Knoll. Model 75, edited by Knoll. Hairpin metal feet and wood veneer seat, circa 1948-1950. Full original cond...
Metal
Set of Three Florence Knoll Model 75 Stacking Stools, 1940's
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Set of 3 Florence Knoll for Knoll Associates hairpin Nesting Tables Featuring solid circular Birch surfaces on black enameled Iron tripod, hairpin legs. Seat 13 D. Fine. Classic. Rar...
Iron
Florence Knoll Stacking Stools, Knoll Associates, circa 1950
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Rochester, NY
An early pair of Florence Knoll for Knoll associates stacking stools (tables) with original white enamel painted iron hairpin legs and birch wood tops. all-over nicely aged color to ...
Steel
Sold
H 18.51 in Dm 13.39 in
Pair of Early Original Vintage Hairpin Stacking Stools or Side Tables by Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Berlin, DE
Pair of Classic three-legged stools or side tables with round top and lacquered wrought iron hairpin legs designed by Florence Knoll.
Wrought Iron
Mies van der Rohe Steel and Leather Tufted Bar Stools for Knoll
By Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Florence Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mid Century Modern bar stools designed by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Inc. in the United States circa 1970’s. A classy cantilevered design, featuring a bent flat steel chrome frame w...
Steel, Chrome
Early Florence Knoll No. 75 Stool for Knoll Associates, circa 1950
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Florence Knoll designed No. 75 stool for Knoll Associates. Comprised of a round birch seat supported by three wrought iron hairpin style legs with white enamel finish and the origina...
Wrought Iron
Three Knoll No. 75 Stools with Wrought Iron Legs
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A set of three Florence Knoll-designed stools by Knoll Associates. The No. 75 stool has a round birch seat and wrought iron legs in a ‘hairpin’ style...
Wrought Iron
Early Pair of Florence Knoll Stackable Stools
By Florence Knoll
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Early pair of Florence Knoll stackable stools, circa early 1950s. These examples have beautifully grained solid birch tops with iron hairpin legs. Price...
Nest of Three Florence Knoll Wrought Iron Base Stools
By Florence Knoll
Located in Ferndale, MI
Nest of three stools by Florence Knoll for Knoll.
Wrought Iron
Florence Knoll Stool No. 75 (3)
By Florence Knoll
Located in Munich, DE
Florence Knoll Set of Three rare and early hairpin stool designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International. Legs are in enameled iron - laminate...
Iron