Florence Knoll, Pair of "Parallel Bar" Lounge Chairs, circa 1965
View Similar Items
Florence Knoll, Pair of "Parallel Bar" Lounge Chairs, circa 1965
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.71 in (78 cm)Width: 30.32 in (77 cm)Depth: 29.93 in (76 cm)Seat Height: 16.15 in (41 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1965
- Condition:Newly re-upholstered with a dark blue velvet from the Kvadrat Raf Simons collection. New fabric. New foams.
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:Seller: 6971stDibs: LU1532217220972
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 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.
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, "Parallel Bar" Lounge Chair, circa 1965By Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Paris, FR"Parallel Bar" easy chair designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll International, circa 1965. Newly re-upholstered with a dark blue velvet from the Kvadrat Raf Simons collec...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel, Metal
- Florence Knoll, Sofa "Parallel Bar" for Knoll, 1954 / 1960. Newly upholstered.By Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Paris, FRLovely Two seat sofa model 52 also known as ‘Parallel Bar’ designed by Florence Knoll in 1954 and produced by Knoll International from 1955 to 1973 This sofa is an edition from the v...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel, Chrome, Metal
- Florence Knoll, Sofa Model 66A for Knoll, circa 1960By Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Paris, FRTwo seat sofa model 66A designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll International, circa 1960. This chair was manufactured only from 1958 to 1975. Newly re-upholstered with a ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Pierre Guariche "Courchevel" Lounge Chair for Sièges Témoins, 1959By Sièges Témoins, Pierre GuaricheLocated in Paris, FRBeautiful lounge chair designed by French designer Pierre Guariche. Model "Courchevel" manufactured by Sièges Témoins. France, circa 1959. Steel chromed frame. Very good condition. ...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Louis Paolozzi, Pair of "Concerto" Armchairs for Zol, France, 1950By Louis PaolozziLocated in Paris, FRElegant Pair of French armchairs model "Concerto" designed by Louis Paolozzi in the 1950s and produced by Zol, France. Black lacquered metal feet. Excellent condition. Origina...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Illum Wikkelsø, Pair of Danish Armchairs, 1958By Illum WikkelsøLocated in Paris, FRElegant Pair of Danish armchairs model N°450 designed by Illum Wikkelsø in 1958 and produced by Aarhus Polstrermøbelfabrik, Denmark. Excellent condition. Original pieces from t...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery, Wood, Beech
$7,144 / set
- Pair of Florence Knoll lounge chairs for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Langemark-Poelkapelle, BEPair of Florence Knoll lounge chairs designed in 1954 for the Lounge collection by Florence Knoll Bassett for Knoll International. New cognac-colored upholstery!Category
Late 20th Century Belgian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Armless Lounge Chairs by Florence Knoll for KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Dorchester, MAFlorence Knoll designed these slipper chairs in 1956 as part of a seating group that joined comfort with a clean-lined modernism. The chromed steel frames are canted at back and the ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Early Production Florence Knoll for Knoll Lounge ChairsBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Ferndale, MIPair of Florence Knoll lounge chairs on maple legs. Early 1950s production. Recently covered in a Knoll Pullman chenille style textile .Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMaple
- Florence Knoll Lounge Chair with Original Wool UpholsteryBy KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYKnoll arm / lounge chair designed by Florence Knoll in the early 1950's retaining its original orange fabric supported by cylindrical polished steel feet. This 1960s example, as evid...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Red Florence Knoll Lounge ChairsBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Palm Springs, CAA pair of vintage Florence Knoll lounge chairs on steel bases. We have these totally refurbished and re-upholstered in red Maharam Messenger fabric. The bases have been polished, and...Category
20th Century American Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$4,550 Sale Price / set30% Off - Florence Knoll Model 31 Lounge ChairBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Garnerville, NYEarly Florence Knoll (Florence Knoll Bassett) designed Model 31 lounge chair, circa 1958-62. She designed the chair in 1954 and it was in production until 1968. Black enameled steel ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$1,560 Sale Price20% Off
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.