Vintage Knoll Group Living Room Set with Upholstered Seating

About the Item

Florence Knoll Sofa with Matching Lounge Chairs, Set of Three An exceptional and increasingly rare seating ensemble designed by Florence Knoll, consisting of a three-seat sofa accompanied by two matching lounge chairs. A masterclass in modernist restraint, the set exemplifies Knoll’s philosophy of creating furniture with clean architectural lines, balanced proportions, and uncompromising comfort. The sofa and chairs feature Florence Knoll’s signature tufted seat and back cushions, each meticulously tailored into a precise grid that emphasizes the collection’s geometric elegance. Slim polished steel legs create a light, floating appearance, while the tailored upholstered frames and gently sloped arms lend a refined sophistication. Reupholstered in recent years in a richly textured ivory fabric, the set offers a fresh interpretation of an enduring mid-century icon while remaining faithful to the original design. Equally at home in residential or commercial interiors, this versatile suite provides generous seating without overwhelming a space. The crisp lines and timeless silhouette pair effortlessly with mid-century, contemporary, and minimalist furnishings. Originally introduced in the 1950s, Florence Knoll’s seating designs remain among the most celebrated achievements of American modernism, admired for their enduring quality, impeccable craftsmanship, and architectural sensibility. Complete matching sets of this caliber are becoming increasingly difficult to acquire. Dimensions: Sofa- Width:90.5" Depth:30" Height:32" SeatW:84" SeatD:21 SeatH:17" ArmH:21.5" Slipper Chairs- Width: 28.5" Depth: 32" Height:32" SeatW:28.5" SeatD:20.5" SeatH:17"

Creator:
Florence Knoll (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 90.5 in (229.87 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 3
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Chrome,Fabric,Wool
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Late 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Circa 1970
Condition:
Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. These pIeces look and feel practically new with a spotless chrome and consistent ivory tone to the fabric. This set has been cared for and will only slow small signs of use.
Seller Location:
Wheat Ridge, CO
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU10323250866042

Shop All Florence Knoll

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.

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