Walnut Settee by Florence Knoll, 1952
View Similar Items
Walnut Settee by Florence Knoll, 1952
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 57 in (144.78 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1952
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Frame is excellent and is refinished. Upholstery must be changed.
- Seller Location:South Charleston, WV
- Reference Number:Seller: Florence settee1stDibs: LU161626987403
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.
- Large Knoll Sofa TablesBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in South Charleston, WVVery large. Produced 1960's 30" x 30" x 19" tall this set of large tables are designed specifically for use with chairs or sofas as side or end tables. A good minimalist design with ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsSteel
$1,250 Sale Price / set40% Off - Erik Ole Jorgensen for DUX Sofa with Down Cushions in Knoll FabricBy Erik Ole Jørgensen, Dux of SwedenLocated in South Charleston, WVReupholstered less than 12 months ago using Knoll Blue Fabric. 88.75" wide, 30.25" tall and 34" deep. Arm height 23". Special attention was paid in the upholstery with the original d...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Set of 15 Tandem Stacking Seats by Don Albinson for Knoll with CartBy Don Albinson, KnollLocated in South Charleston, WVDon Albinson 1965, Knoll International, Plastic, aluminum Price is for set of 15. Comes with the dolly for easy moving. Heavily discounted for clearance for new premises. This listing is for the 15 tandem seat...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Early Chair Attributed to Jens Risom for KnollBy Jens Risom, KnollLocated in South Charleston, WVA very early chair that is attributed to Jens Risom for Knoll. The chair features a vinyl type finish that is in good condition with a few marks and light staining. The legs have ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
- Important Prototype Vases by Winslow Anderson, 1952By Blenko Glass, Winslow AndersonLocated in South Charleston, WVSigned by the Artist 1952, Winslow Anderson. When Winslow designed the vase model 961 he produced prototypes, and he kept these 2 handblown prototypes with him until his death in 20...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Samson Berman Monumental Platform Seating SuiteBy Samson BermanLocated in South Charleston, WVSamson Berman studio, NY, USA, circa 1955. Integrated illuminated tandem chair platform, walnut, brass, lighting. 121.5 wide x 41.5 deep and changeable ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Midcentury Florence Knoll Style Settee by PatricianBy Florence Knoll, Patrician Furniture CoLocated in New York, NYOriginally made in the 1970s, this two-seater settee by Patrician Furniture Company takes after the iconic Florence Knoll sofa, with its combination of angular and soft lines. The se...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsChrome
- 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
- Settee In The Manner Of Florence KnollLocated in Pasadena, TXA mid century modern armless settee in the style of Florence Knoll. Chrome base with angled rear legs and tufted black vinyl upholstery.Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Settees
- Rare Settee, Model 1716 by Warren Platner for KnollBy Warren Platner, KnollLocated in New York, NYBronze-plated steel, upholstery. Produced by Knoll. Rare bronze finish variant with new upholstery.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- 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
- Pair of Florence Knoll / Knoll Light Orange Upholstered SetteesBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in New York, NYPAIR of American Mid-Century two-seat settees with peach color faintly textured upholstered seat and back cushions supported on black powder coated metal frames. (FLORENCE KNOLL / KN...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
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.