Pair of Florence Knoll Credenzas
View Similar Items
Pair of Florence Knoll Credenzas
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Width: 74.75 in (189.87 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2000s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. scratches throughout, scratches to marble.
- Seller Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU850626768162
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.
- Custom Florence Knoll BenchBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Houston, TXFlorence Knoll Bench USA 2017 leather, steel Measures: 48 W x 19.5 D x 16.75 H inches. Custom sized Florence Knoll bench in a custom flat steel finish with leather upholster...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel
- Set of custom ordered Florence Knoll BenchesBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Houston, TXFlorence Knoll Pair of benches USA 1954 leather, steel Measures: 48 W x 19.5 D x 16.75 H inches Pair of custom-sized Florence Knoll benches in a custom flat steel finish wit...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel
$9,000 / set - Florence Knoll Nightstand in WalnutBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Houston, TXFlorence Knoll nightstand in walnut Knoll, USA, 1956. Walnut. Measures: 18 W x 18 D x 20 H inches. Nightstand has a single drawer ab...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- Florence Knoll stool / bench in leather for Knoll AssociatesBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Houston, TXFlorence Knoll stool Knoll Associates USA 1984 leather, steel 17 h × 18 w × 18 d inches Vintage piece.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Ward Bennett Burlwood Cabinet for Brickel Associates Inc.By Geiger International, Brickel Associates, Ward BennettLocated in Houston, TXWard Bennett nine drawer cabinet Brickell Furniture burlwood USA c 1960s Nine drawer cabinet with inset chrome ring handles, includes two...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsOlive
- Phillip Lloyd Powell Wall Mounted Cabinet circa 1977By Phillip Lloyd PowellLocated in Houston, TXPhillip Lloyd Powell Cabinet with Four Doors in Mixed Woods and Mirrored Glass USA circa 1977 Walnut, mirrored glass, oak, zebrawood, mahogany, ash, ebony and maple burl. Measures...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsGlass, Mirror, Ash, Ebony, Mahogany, Maple, Oak, Walnut, Zebra Wood, Burl
- Stylish Modern Sliding Door Credenza by Florence KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis unique Mid-Century cabinet features spacious sliding door storage and sleek modern design. Iconic design by Florence Knoll, this spacious console cabinet is ideal for use as a television stand, office storage, or for dining room use. Steel legs, unique handles, and cloth covered doors add to the appeal of this vintage Knoll cabinet...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsTeak
- Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll for Knoll with Black Marble Top CredenzaBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAA sleek modern classic cabinet designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll. It features a dark mahogany case, stainless steel legs and a black mar...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Stainless Steel
- Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll Green Verde Marble Top Credenza or CabinetBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAA sleek modern classic cabinet designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll. It features a dark mahogany case, stainless steel legs and a rare gree...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Stainless Steel
- Wall-Mounted Rosewood Cabinets by Florence Knoll, Excellent Condition, PairBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Kansas City, MOTwo rosewood wall mount storage cabinets or credenzas designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll. Early production in Brazilian rosewood with whit...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood, Wood
- Florence Knoll Designed CredenzaBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYMid-century modern office sideboard by Florence Knoll. Walnut grain throughout with strong metal legs. Pull out tray and file cabinet. Please confirm location NY or NJCategory
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMetal
- Florence Knoll Carrara Marble Credenza for KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in North Hollywood, CAThis beautiful credenza designed by Florence Knoll is not only stylish and functional, but it also comes engraved with the designer's name, making it a true collector's item. The war...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsCarrara Marble, Steel, Chrome
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.