Mid-Century Modern Rare Early Florence Knoll Chrome Parallel Bar Sofa, 1950s
View Similar Items
Mid-Century Modern Rare Early Florence Knoll Chrome Parallel Bar Sofa, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 90.5 in (229.87 cm)Depth: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Seat Height: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Keego Harbor, MI
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2715313576372
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.
- Mid Century Modern Florence Knoll Walnut End Table NightstandBy Florence KnollLocated in Keego Harbor, MIA mid century modern Florence Knoll walnut end table nightstand. This piece features a beautiful walnut wood construction with a table top. Thi...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Niels Eilersen "Arizona" Green Danish Mid Century Sofa by Jens EilersenLocated in Keego Harbor, MIA Niels Eilersen "Arizona" sofa by Jen Juuls Eilersen. A fantastic mid century modern sofa with a fantastic mid century design. This lovely sofa features a pale green leather upholst...Category
Mid-20th Century Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Milo Baughman Thayer Coggin Mid Century Modern Sectional With Attached TableBy Thayer Coggin, Milo BaughmanLocated in Keego Harbor, MIIntroducing the epitome of modern comfort and style with the Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin Neutral Toned Sectional. Crafted to perfection, this contemporary masterpiece boasts clean lines and a sophisticated design, seamlessly blending form and function. The neutral-toned upholstery not only enhances the sectional's versatility, but also ensures that it becomes the focal point of any living space, creating a perfect balance between comfort and contemporary aesthetics. It is framed in a attatched wrap around sofa...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Contemporary Modernist Cassina Italy Plush Gray Sofa on Chrome BaseBy CassinaLocated in Keego Harbor, MIFor your consideration is a comfortable and chic, gray sofa on a chrome base, made in Italy for Cassina, USA. In excellent condition. The dimensions are 82" W x 34" D x 27" H x 16" S...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Carl Koch for Vermont Tubbs Sno Shu Bar Stool Raw Hide 1950sBy Carl Koch, Vermont Tubbs FurnitureLocated in Keego Harbor, MIFor your consideration is an eclectic side or accent high chair, with raw hide webbing, by Carl Koch for Vermont Tubbs, circa the 1950s. In excellent vintage condition. The dimension...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsWood
- Mid-Century Modern Style Bar CabinetBy Paul EvansLocated in Keego Harbor, MIFor your consideration is a phenomenal, metal bar side cabinet, in the style of Paul Evans Argente. In excellent condition. The dimensions are 23.5" W x 23" D x 32.5" H. Acc. #506.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMetal
- Florence Knoll Parallel Bar Sofa for KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAFlorence Knoll Parallel Bar Armed Sofa. Newly reupholstered in a great weave fabric in shades of red, gray and purple. Very solid and subst...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsStainless Steel, Metal
- Parallel Bar Sofas By Florence KnollBy Florence KnollLocated in Sagaponack, NYA "parallel bar" frame sofa with a button tufted back on chromed steel legs.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
$9,500 / item - Mid century Florence Knoll Sofa #57 Parallel Bar System - needs upholsteryBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in BROOKLYN, NYVintage circa 1960 Midcentury Florence Knoll Parallel Bar System sofa Model #57 three-seat sofa with arms. Designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll Int. USA. Solid Steel frame and is in ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel
$2,520 Sale Price30% Off - Florence Knoll, Sofa "Parallel Bar" for Knoll, 1954 / 1960. Newly upholstered.By Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Paris, FRLovely Two seat sofa model 52 also known as ‘Parallel Bar’ designed by Florence Knoll in 1954 and produced by Knoll International from 1955 to 1973 This sofa is an edition from the v...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel, Chrome, Metal
- Mid Century Modern Florence Knoll Chrome Base Sofa Newly UpholsteredBy Florence KnollLocated in Chicago, ILMid Century Modern Florence Knoll Chrome Base Sofa Newly Upholstered in a Blue Velvet Beautiful MCM Florence Knoll Sofa made in the Style of Jonathan Adler's Lampert Sofa...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Knoll Mid Century Chrome and Leather Parallel Bar SofaBy KnollLocated in Countryside, ILKnoll Mid Century Chrome and Leather Parallel Bar Sofa This sofa measures: 90 wide x 28.5 deep x 30.75 inches high, with a seat height of 16.5 and a...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsChrome
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.