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.
Florence Knoll Square Marble Top Solid Chrome Base Side End Coffee Center Table
By Florence Knoll
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Florence Knoll square marble top solid chrome base side end coffee center table.
Marble, Chrome
Non Matching Pair of Rosewood & Crome Square Knoll Side End Tables Stands Mint
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Measure: Big table: 30 x 30 x 17. Small table: 24 x 24 x 17.
Chrome
Florence Knoll Coffee / Side End Table with White Marble Top
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Wilton, CT
Shown here we have the Florence Knoll Coffee Table, a design staple. This table has a handsome white stone top with a hint of light gray veins. Matching this piece with one's décor w...
Stone, Marble, Stainless Steel
Knoll Black Glass Square Coffee Table
By Florence Knoll
Located in Rochester, England
The Knoll Black Glass Square Coffee Table is a perfect example of Florence Knoll’s minimalist design philosophy. This sleek, modern piece features a durable black glass top that rest...
Chrome
Carrara Marble and Chrome Coffee Table in the Style of Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Kansas City, MO
36 inch square Carrara marble and chrome coffee table in the style of Florence Knoll. White marble with gray and beige veining. No chips or significant scratches. The chrome is free ...
Marble, Chrome
$2,700
H 15.74 in W 39.5 in D 39.5 in
Pair of Midcentury Square Lucite Coffee Tables with Chromed Metal Details
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of midcentury square Lucite coffee tables with chromed metal details. Measurements: H 15.74 in. x W 39.5 in. x D 39.5 in. H 17.71 in. x W 27.5 in. x D 27.5 in.
Brass
$2,250
H 16 in W 39.25 in D 40.25 in
Peter Draenert "Klassik" Model 1022 Glass Coffee Table with Square Chrome Base
By Peter Draenert
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare Mid-Century 'Klassik' Model 1022 coffee table. Thick glass top and square chrome base. Designed by Dr. Peter Draenert, a philosopher and art historian, this table meshes a sleek...
Chrome
$3,255 / item
H 13.78 in W 39.38 in D 39.38 in
Portuguese Center Table Poppy with pink top and white Marble base by Mambo
By Mambo Unlimited Ideas
Located in Lisbon, PT
Poppy table is an emblem of nature and organic growth, behind this design lies an essence of naivety effortlessly found within natural forms. Poppy tables are a finely tuned example of how we find elegance within the immediate flow of naturalism. Made to Order. Open since 1997 and based in Lisbon, Portugal, a country with a long crafts tradition, Mambo Unlimited Ideas' design team researches for innovation and creativity developments around the world while embracing the crafts heritage, creating contemporary pieces combining traditional Portuguese materials and handmade techniques producing original, high quality products. Mambo Unlimited Ideas is dedicated to furniture and upholstery. Its collection offers a comprehensive customizable furniture...
Marble
$22,400 / set
H 22.05 in Dm 19.97 in
Me 508 Side Table by Jorge Zalszupin, Rosewood and Glass, Brazil, circa 1959
By L'Atelier San Paulo, Jorge Zalszupin
Located in New York, NY
The "me 508" side table was designed by Jorge Zalszupin (1922-2020) and produced by his company L'Atelier in 1959 – the year of its inauguration. The works of the first phase of L'At...
Glass, Rosewood
$29,909
H 14 in W 63 in D 28 in
Coffee or Center Table Carved from Solid White Marble Bonnie and Clyde
By DOOQ
Located in Lisbon, PT
Coffee or center table carved from a solid block of Estremoz white marble, a sculptural piece that is hand polished to the finest detail. Sensual curves and straight lines embody th...
Marble
1960s Florence Knoll Marble and Chromed Steel Coffee Table 45x23"
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a coffee table, originally designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll in 1954. This particular example was produced in the United States during the 1960s. This table is an original...
Marble, Steel
Florence Knoll Chrome Coffee Table
By Florence Knoll
Located in Pasadena, TX
Florence Knoll 30" chrome coffee table The Florence Knoll table has a spare, geometric presence that reflects the rational design approach Florence Knoll learned from Mies van der R...
Chrome
Square yellow marble coffee table with chromed metal base 1970
By Florence Knoll
Located in Renens, CH
Large minimalist 1960-1970 coffee table with top in yellow marble. The base structure is in chromed metal and stands out for its slim, refined design. The square top is in yellow m...
Marble, Chrome
$7,250Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 43.31 in W 43.31 in D 13.78 in
Square Coffee Table Made of Solid Oak Wood by Nono Furniture
By Joel Escalona
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Coffee table made of solid oak wood. All the pieces are coated with polyurethane with a semi-matt finish. — NONO is a Mexican design brand with more than 10 years of experience dedic...
Oak, Hardwood
Sold
H 17.33 in W 25.99 in D 12.6 in
1970s Florence Knoll T-Bar Marble and Chrom Coffee Table for Knoll International
By Florence Knoll
Located in London, GB
1970s Florence Knoll T-Bar White Marble and Chrome Coffee Table for Knoll International Set upon T shaped Chrome feet, this marble table boasts modernist elegance. On the ins...
Marble
Sold
H 28.75 in Dm 52.76 in
Beautiful Florence Knoll Green Marble Dining Table for Knoll International, 1961
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Echt, NL
Beautiful Round green marble dining / center table in very good condition. Designed by Florence Knoll in 1961 for Knoll International. The frame and legs are made of heavy gauge welded steel with a polished chrome finish. Verdi Alpi green marble tabletop in perfect condition. The Knoll logo and Florence Knoll’s signature are stamped into the base of the table. The elegant Knoll International dining table...
Stone, Marble, Metal, Chrome
Modern Carrara Marble and Stainless Steel Square Table by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Houston, TX
Beautiful modern Carrara marble and stainless steel square table by Florence Knoll. After-marble top- top is not original.
Carrara Marble, Stainless Steel
Modern Knoll Chrome and Marble Top Rectangular Coffee Table
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Houston, TX
Gorgeous modern rectangular marble top coffee table with a lovely chrome frame made by Florence Knoll.
Marble, Chrome
GAE AULENTI for KNOLL DINING TABLE
By Florence Knoll
Located in Antwerp, BE
Square Dining Table Black Lacquered metal base Gae Aulenti Knoll International USA 1970s L 145 cm x D 138 cm x H 74 cm
Brass, Metal