Florence Knoll Two-Seat Sofa with Arms
View Similar Items
Florence Knoll Two-Seat Sofa with Arms
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 62.5 in (158.75 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)Seat Height: 15.5 in (39.37 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. in good vintage condition with age appropriate wear.
- Seller Location:Lambertville, NJ
- Reference Number:Seller: 1015 / 10101stDibs: LU1308215427882
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.
- Continental Hand Carved Walnut French Style SetteeLocated in Lambertville, NJStylish high arm hand carved walnut French Louis XV style loveseat newly recovered in grayish sage and pale blues cut velvet fabric. Wonderful ...Category
Vintage 1930s European Louis XV Settees
MaterialsWalnut
- Mahogany Regency Style Triple Chair Back Settee with Upholstered SeatLocated in Lambertville, NJMeasures: 55.5 W x 23.5 D x 34 H seat height 18 Wonderful quality mid 20th century Regency Style settee upholstered in an ivory stripe fabric. The back with a triple chair...Category
Mid-20th Century American Regency Settees
MaterialsMahogany
- Elegant Hand Painted Continental Settee with Gilt DecorationLocated in Lambertville, NJBeautiful hand crafted double seat settee by Galimberti Lino, Italy. The finish is a hand stippled almost tortoise finish on walnut with a cartouche...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Settees
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Antique English Adam Style Settee with Hand Painted DecorationLocated in Lambertville, NJElegant and graceful three-seat hand painted English Adam style settee. Patinated mellowed satinwood with hand painted decoration throughout. The seat was cane but has been reinforce...Category
Antique Late 19th Century English Adam Style Settees
MaterialsBirdseye Maple
$2,560 Sale Price20% Off - A Georgian Style Mahogany Settee by Maitland SmithBy Maitland SmithLocated in Lambertville, NJA shapely hand carved mahogany settee by Maitland Smith. The shapely frame with rounded corners, hand carved arms in the form of a bird with detailed carved legs and apron. The sil...Category
20th Century Asian Georgian Settees
MaterialsMahogany
- Late 20th Century Carved Georgian Style Upholstered Setee By Maitland SmithBy Maitland SmithLocated in Lambertville, NJLate 20th Century carved Georgian style setee by Maitland Smith. Nicely carved and detailed wood accents. In very good condition, Silk fabric could use a cleaning or easily replaced,...Category
Late 20th Century Asian Georgian Benches
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Mid-Century Modern Settee by Florence KnollBy Florence KnollLocated in North Hollywood, CAWonderful Mid-Century Modern settee designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll Associates, Inc. in the United States, circa 1960s. This settee has a clean design around its edges and an el...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Florence Knoll 2-Seater Sofa, Classic Mid Century Modern, KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Buffalo, NYVintage Florence Knoll 2 seater 'lounge series' sofa with original 2nd generation upholstery in a coarse woven off-white mottled wool fabric. This sofa d...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsChrome
- Italian Modern Two Seat Sofa, c. 1950sLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis stunning two seat settee features sculpted hardwood arms with sleek and delicate legs. Unique vintage fabric adds to the mid-century appeal of this elegant Italian love seat...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsUpholstery
$2,100 Sale Price52% Off - Børge Mogensen Model #2208 Two-Seat SofaBy Borje SkohgLocated in Los Angeles, CABørge Mogensen Model #2208 Two-Seat Sofa Designed in 1963 and Produced by Fredericia Stolefabrik. Store formerly known as ARTFUL DODGER INCCategory
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Settees
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany, Teak
- 1 Klaus Franck & Werner Sauer Two Seat SofaBy Klaus Frank & Werner SauerLocated in Pasadena, TXA Mid century modern two-seat settee designed by Klaus Franck and Werner Sauer for Wilkhahn in 1983. Comfortable and stylish tandem seating with chrome bases and red upholstery.Category
Late 20th Century German Loveseats
MaterialsChrome
$2,320 Sale Price51% Off - Børge Mogensen Model #2208 Two-Seat SofaBy Børge MogensenLocated in Los Angeles, CABørge Mogensen model no. 2208 two-seat sofa designed in 1963 and produced by Fredericia.Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Settees
MaterialsLeather
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.