Florence Knoll Early Sofa
View Similar Items
Florence Knoll Early Sofa
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 90 in (228.6 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Westport, CT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU91086062433
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.
- Florence Knoll BureauLocated in Westport, CTFlorence Knoll , knoll international Slant front petite birch chest of draws, original condition french polished rare design , with top raise side rails.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
$6,400 - Chesterfield Custom Sofa Sally Sirkin LewisBy Sally Sirkin LewisLocated in Westport, CTVelvet soft Toupe /Grey Chesterfield sofa,circa 1970 with large ball feet,heavy construction custom made "Sally Sirkin Lewis.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Tommi Parzinger Parzinger Original Vintage SofaBy Tommi ParzingerLocated in Westport, CTTommi Parzinger, Parzinger original custom sofa , from Parzingers accountant , in off-white chenille and dark walnut legs.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
- Edward Wormley Sofa, Edward Wormley Estate Weston CtBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Westport, CTEdward Wormley, three-seat sofa polished brass leg from Wormley Weston Ct estate. Chenille fabric, model 5512.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley Loveseat "Short Sofa" Terry Chenille FabricBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Westport, CTEdward Wormley loveseat, short sofa catalog page 26 index page 175 model 5406, solid brass polished legs springs foam. Important early design, 1956.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsBrass
- 1970's polished chrome Glass sofa tableBy Milo BaughmanLocated in Westport, CTPolished Chrome and glass sofa table circa 1970'sCategory
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
- Early Florence Knoll Armless Sofa and Chair SetBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is an early and rare Knoll sofa and chair set. This sets one and only home was non-other then a Richard Nuetra estate in the Hollywood Hills. N...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Florence Knoll Sofa SetBy Florence KnollLocated in Munich, DEan early and hard to find sofaset . complete restored to perfect condition !Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
$13,000 / set - Florence Knoll SofaBy Florence KnollLocated in Dallas, TXVery early Florence Knoll sofa circa 1950 completely restored including all new 8 way hand tied springs, all new high grade foam cushions and new ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMaple, Textile
$5,400 Sale Price32% Off - Early Florence Knoll 3-Seat Model 26 SofaBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYVery early Florence Knoll sofa, circa late 1940s, in vintage oatmeal nubby wool Knoll fabric, with down seat and back cushions. The six inset legs make...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsTextile, Maple
- Parallel Bar Armchairs & Sofa by Florence Knoll for Knoll InternationalBy Florence KnollLocated in Izegem, VWVThe Model 51, beter known as the Parallel Bar series with a brushed chrome and black finish steel frame were designed by Florence Knoll in 1955 for Knoll International. This set, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Florence Knoll 3-Seat SofaBy Florence KnollLocated in Munich, DEFlorence Knoll 3-seat sofa. Nice original condition.Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
$2,184 Sale Price44% 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.