Mid-Century sofa with wooden side table / end cabinet by Florence Knoll 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Design:Florence Knoll SofaLounge Series
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 122.05 in (310 cm)Depth: 29.14 in (74 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Antwerpen, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5872237225502
Florence Knoll Sofa
Although Michigan native Florence Knoll (1917–2019) modestly described her furniture as “meat and potatoes” designs that were largely “fill-in pieces” for the Knoll Associates catalog, works like the Florence Knoll sofa demonstrate her artful expression of modern proportions. Introduced in 1954, the sofa was made during the American designer and entrepreneur’s direction of the Knoll Planning Unit, the company’s pioneering “design consultant service” that would define the look of the postwar workplace. The versatile Florence Knoll sofa, with its angular silhouette and tasteful mix of textures — from the colorful upholstery options to its exposed metal frame and legs — could as easily fit into the glass lobby of a skyscraper as the living room of a home.
Before she met her husband, Hans Knoll, with whom she built Knoll Associates into an international tastemaker of mid-century style, Florence studied under architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology and worked for architects Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. That mentorship — from the major figures of the Bauhaus — had a significant impact on her approach to “total design,” in which each part of an interior was not just an object, it was a component of a comprehensive whole. Mies’s influence in particular is evident in the simplicity of the Florence Knoll sofa, its modern materials and restrained design channeling his “less is more” ethos. Its polished chrome steel legs and cushions with their clean lines further provided an architectural contrast to more sculptural pieces being created for Knoll Associates by designers such as Harry Bertoia, Eero Saarinen and Isamu Noguchi.
The numerous pieces Florence Knoll designed for the Knoll Associates furniture line were envisioned as design solutions for the changing needs in residential and office spaces. The Florence Knoll Lounge chair, also released in 1954, was a scaled-down companion to the sofa, so together they could offer flexible seating for a meeting space or entertaining area in the home.
Knoll may have designed her sofa because she needed a minimal piece as an element in the diverse interiors being filled with her company’s furnishings, but it’s now among the most celebrated of the company’s designs. Knoll, Inc. continues to produce the Florence Knoll sofa over half a century after it was introduced, and vintage models are still prized for their sturdy construction and timeless qualities.
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Antwerpen, Belgium
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Florence Knoll Coffee / Side Table with Laminate Top And Stainless Steel BaseBy Florence KnollLocated in Antwerpen, AntwerpEarly Florence Knoll T-angle side table, produced by Knoll in 1952. The table has a original white laminate top and a stainless steel base. A nice example of classic modernist design...Category
Vintage 1950s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Mid-Century Cognac Leather 4 Seat Sofa by Tobia Scarpa for B&B ItaliaBy B&B Italia, Tobia ScarpaLocated in Antwerpen, AntwerpVery comfortable four-seat sofa model Coronado by Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia. This large edition is not in production any more. It has soft cognac colored leather cushions and frame...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Model 116 Sideboard with Raffia Doors Designed by Florence Knoll in the 1950sBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Antwerpen, AntwerpDecorative sideboard model 116 designed by Florence Knoll in the early fifties for Knoll associates. Florence Knoll studied architecture under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eliel Saar...Category
Vintage 1950s Central American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsRaffia, Wood
- Blop Sofa Set with Coffee Table by Carlo Bartoli for Rossi di Albizzate, ItalyBy Giuseppe Rossi di AlbizzateLocated in Antwerpen, AntwerpThis set was already on my wishlist for a long time! The Carlo Bartoli Blop sofa elements was fabricated in 1972 by Rossi di Albizzate. It survived extremely...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood, Lacquer
- Space Age Modern Chocolate Brown Leather Sofa 'Pasha' by Durlet, Belgium, 1970sBy DurletLocated in Antwerpen, AntwerpBeautiful three-seat sofa model Pasha, manufactured in the 1970s by Durlet, Belgium. The sofa was designed by Heinz Waldmann & Anita Schmidt. Schmidt has been working together with D...Category
Antique 1870s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Mid-Century Black Cabinet with Graphic Brutalist Doors by Defour Belgium, 1970sLocated in Antwerpen, AntwerpSmall sideboard / cabinet produced in the 70s by Defour, Belgium. The front is decorated with a graphical op-art pattern carved into the wood. The cabinet has two shelves inside. Sta...Category
Vintage 1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWood
- 10ft Vintage Mid-Century Sofa/End Table Combination Designed by Florence KnollBy Florence KnollLocated in Las Vegas, NVAuthentic early sofa and end table designed by Florence Knoll in the mid 1950s. It features a steel frame with eight square, tubular legs and an attached walnut table with glass top...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- 1960s Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Slipper Sofas- a PairBy Florence KnollLocated in Roanoke, VAThe Florence Knoll armless slipper sofas are a stunning example of mid-century modern design. A classic piece that has stood the test of time, t...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Early Mid-Century Florence Knoll Sofa with Magazine HolderBy Florence KnollLocated in Phoenix, AZFlorence Knoll for Knoll Associates sofa with built in magazine holder, circa early 1950s. This example is upholstered in a pumpernickel Knoll boucle which pops beautifully next to t...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWalnut
- 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
- Florence Knoll for Knoll Mid-Century Modern Sofa in FuchsiaBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn iconic sofa designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll in the early 1960s. It features a stainless steel frame with fuchsia tweed upholstery.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Florence Knoll Long Sofa w/ Table Chrome Frame, 1960'sBy Florence KnollLocated in Ft Lauderdale, FLFlorence Knoll long sofa w/ table chrome frame, 1960's. Upholstered 2010 in Knoll fabric. Note photos for fabric color, pattern and condition. Purchased 1966, Royal Oak, MI. Walnut t...Category
Mid-20th Century 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.