Chrome-Framed Lounge Chair by Florence Knoll
View Similar Items
Chrome-Framed Lounge Chair by Florence Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Reupholstered in Knoll textile.
- Seller Location:Dorchester, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU83781236818
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.
- 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
- Aluminum and Leather 1966 Collection Lounge Chair by Richard Schultz for KnollBy Richard Schultz, KnollLocated in Dorchester, MAFrom Richard Schultz's collection for Knoll known widely as the 1966 Collection, the clean lines of the 25L lounge chair emphasize its understated design. A slender rectilinear frame...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Mid-Century Club Chair and Ottoman by Harvey ProbberBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Dorchester, MAThis classic mid-century club chair by Harvey Probber offers a comfortable rest with down-filled cushions on an upholstered frame set on mahogany feet. The corresponding ottoman feat...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsMahogany, Textile, Down
- Maple and Walnut Lounge Chair, Model 645, by Lewis Butler for Knoll AssociatesBy Knoll, Lewis Butler for KnollLocated in Dorchester, MACreated in 1955 by Lewis Butler, senior designer and later head of Knoll’s Planning Unit, this lounge chair, model 645, features a dynamic but clean-lined frame of maple into which are set angled planks of walnut plywood to form the seat and backrest. Upholstered pillows...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsTextile, Foam, Maple, Walnut
- Oak Credenza with Marble Top by Florence Knoll for KnollBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Florence Knoll in 1961, this handsome credenza comprises a light oak case on a chrome base with a marble top in "white extra." Four doors with inset handles conceal adju...Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Chrome
- Oak Credenza with Slate Top by Florence Knoll for KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Florence Knoll for Knoll, this iteration of her classic clean-lined credenza features a warm oak case sitting on slender chrome legs and topped with contrasting slate. In...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsSlate, Chrome
- Florence Knoll Aluminum Lounge ChairBy Florence KnollLocated in Chicago, ILInteresting lounge chair in the style of Florence Knoll. Aluminum Construction with Allen bolt connection. Looks to be original Gerard black and white checkerboard fabric. An uncommon chair...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Pair of Classic Florence Knoll for Knoll Studio Tufted Tan Leather Lounge ChairsBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in St. Louis, MOClassic Florence Knoll tufted leather lounge chairs, originally designed in 1954, this pair is of recent production. Original Spinneybeck tan leather on satin chrome frame, both an u...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Florence Knoll ArmchairBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILFlorence Knoll armchair on a gold tone steel frame. Upholstered in a cream color linen with removable cushions.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$2,316 Sale Price20% Off - Florence Knoll Lounge Chair on Steel Base in Heather Grey Tweed FabricBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Chattanooga, TNVintage original Florence Knoll lounge chair in heather grey tweed fabric. Although unsigned or tagged, this is 100% knoll, and most likely from the 1980's. Purchased from an estate ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$1,996 Sale Price20% Off - 1960s Lounge Chair by Florence KnollBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Sagaponack, NYA lounge chair formed by an armless button-tufted upholstered seat resting on a matte steel, rectilinear architectural frame.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Red Florence Knoll Lounge ChairsBy Florence Knoll, 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
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.