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Florence Knoll Wall Decorations

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.

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Creator: Florence Knoll
Florence Knoll 123 W 1 Mid Century Walnut Wall Mount Credenza
By Florence Knoll
Located in Countryside, IL
Florence Knoll 123 W-1 Mid Century Walnut Wall Mount Credenza This credenza measures: 72 wide x 15.25 deep x 17.75 inches high All pieces of furniture can ...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Wall Decorations

Materials

Glass, Walnut

Florence Knoll 123 W-1 Mid Century Walnut Wall Mount Credenza - Pair
By Florence Knoll
Located in Countryside, IL
Florence Knoll 123 W-1 Mid Century Walnut Wall Mount Credenza - Pair Each credenza measures: 72 wide x 15.25 deep x 17.75 inches high All pieces of furnitu...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Wall Decorations

Materials

Glass, Walnut

Florence Knoll Sideboard Wall Bar Unit Teak 1954 Knoll International Mid Century
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Munster, NRW
Wall mounted sideboard unit by Florence Knoll, made by Knoll International, Stuttgart in 1954. Rare opportunity to acquire an original Knoll Internat...
Category

1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Florence Knoll Wall Decorations

Materials

Teak

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By Florence Knoll, Knoll
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Rare wall shelf unit by Florence Knoll. Made by Knoll International, Stuttgart in 1952. Cabinets and shelves are made of teak. The interiors are veneered with maple. Cabinet fronts in white. The doors of the cabinet modules elegantly sink into the bottom of the slopes after opening, which also allows for permanently open use - since no doors protrude into the room. The shelves are each variable in height. The wall panels are covered with sea grass (the fourth panel is present, but not covered with seagrass - you can also omit the panels and then have as a background the color of your respective wall). The panels are simply inserted between the vertical aluminum strips - the complete shelving system is very easy and intuitive to assemble! The upper part of the shelf is illuminated. We have mounted daylight fluorescent tubes, these are available as standard illuminants in normal trade. The condition is very nice for a furniture almost 70 years old, of course there are normal signs of use. There is an additional shelf that is included. 1x shelf board...
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Florence Knoll wall decorations for sale on 1stDibs.

Florence Knoll wall decorations are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Florence Knoll wall decorations, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original wall decorations by Florence Knoll were created in the mid-century modern style in germany during the 1950s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider wall decorations by Dorothee Maurer-Becker, Professor Fritz Klee, and Herbert Bayer. Prices for Florence Knoll wall decorations can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $29,470 and can go as high as $29,470, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $29,470.
Questions About Florence Knoll Wall Decorations
  • 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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