Florence Knoll Two-Tier Ebonized Walnut Paper Tray
View Similar Items
Florence Knoll Two-Tier Ebonized Walnut Paper Tray
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Width: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)Depth: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent vintage condition; cleaned and polished.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1645230471042
Florence Knoll
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.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Florence Knoll Square Walnut Coffee TableBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CADesigned by Florence Knoll in the 1950s, this simple coffee table has four square legs of chromed steel. The square tabletop sits flush with the frame and is made of a walnut veneer....Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Walnut Paper Tray with Black Naugahyde InteriorLocated in Los Angeles, CAWalnut and naugahyde paper tray. The tray features dual black naugahyde lined trays, with oiled walnut cases and a stainless steel pin supporting the upper tier. Dimensions: 11" wi...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsNaugahyde, Walnut
- Florence Knoll Sofa for Knoll InternationalBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CAA classic mid-century tufted sofa by Florence Knoll Sofa for Knoll International c.1950s, USA. It can easily be floated in the center of a room as the b...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Don Shoemaker for Señal Marquetry Paper TrayBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Los Angeles, CACocobolo paper tray with geometric pattern by Don Shoemaker for his company Señal, c.1960s, Mexico. Shoemaker is known for the marquetry in his work, which is clearly visible in the ...Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
MaterialsHardwood, Cocobolo, Rosewood
- Teak Wastebasket by Einar Barnes for P.S. HeggenBy Einar Barnes , P.S. HeggenLocated in Los Angeles, CAWastebasket by Einar Barnes for P.S. Heggen, c.1960s, Norway. This bin features a thin teak plywood body and solid teak handles. Dimensions: 15” width x 9” depth x 17.5" height. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Baskets
MaterialsTeak
- David L. Deming Brass Abstract SculptureLocated in Los Angeles, CABrass abstract sculpture or paperweight by artist David L. Deming c.1969, USA. This weighty object has interlocking squares and rectangular shapes. It would be great as an office pap...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
MaterialsBrass
- Florence Knoll Molded Plywood Architectural Letter Tray, 1960sBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Costa Mesa, CAFlorence Knoll molded plywood architectural letter tray, 1960s. This piece retains its original label to the bottom letter tray.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsWalnut
$1,200 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage Florence Knoll Molded Plywood Architectural Letter TrayBy Florence KnollLocated in Esperance, NYThis is a very unique premium paper or letter tray that is now available for sale. It comes with its original Knoll tag and is an early version of the product. With its stunning desi...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
MaterialsBentwood
- Vintage Modernist Paper Tray in Chrome 1970sBy Smokador, KnollLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful letter tray in polished aluminium / chrome finish with black enamel lining. In the style of Smokador. Clean and minimalist design that is timeless and classic. Unique and...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome
- American Mid-Century Modernist Walnut Letter Desk TrayBy KnollLocated in San Diego, CAIncredible midcentury letter tray in solid walnut. Great lines and construction rounded corners with dove tail joinery.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsWalnut
- Carrè Paper TrayBy GiobagnaraLocated in Milan, ITWith its monolithic, purely geometric volumes, this collection for the office is characterized by graphic details born from the juxtaposition of two nuances of travertine, which crea...Category
2010s Italian Desk Sets
MaterialsMarble
$1,105 / item - Rainbow Midcentury Teak Paper TrayBy House of Rainbow Wood Products Inc.Located in Countryside, ILRainbow midcentury Teak Paper Tray This paper tray measures: 9.75 wide x 15.25 deep x 5.75 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what...Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
MaterialsTeak
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
10 Trailblazing Female Designers
From pioneering visionaries to contemporary talents, get to know some of the most important women in design.
Remembering Design Visionary Florence Knoll Bassett (1917-2019)
A loving look back at the life and career of a doyenne of mid-century-modern style, who died last week at the age of 101.