Early Florence Knoll Ebonized Credenza
View Similar Items
Early Florence Knoll Ebonized Credenza
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.25 in (79.38 cm)Width: 72 in (182.88 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1940s
- Condition:remarkable original condition.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU144425287543
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 skillfully realized office plans and polished, efficient designs for sofas, credenzas, desks and other furnishings.
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.
Florence Knoll's main work came as head of the Knoll Planning Group, designing custom office interiors for clients such as IBM and CBS. The furniture she 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.
Find vintage Florence Knoll sofas, benches, armchairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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.
- Florence Knoll Lounge Chair with Original Wool UpholsteryBy KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYKnoll arm / lounge chair designed by Florence Knoll in the early 1950's retaining its original orange fabric supported by cylindrical polished steel feet. This 1960s example, as evid...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Mid-Century Italian Modern Mahogany Credenza with Blue Laminate SurfaceLocated in Brooklyn, NYVintage Italian credenza in mahogany with sky blue laminate surface, sculpted brass pulls, and adjustable brass feet (ca. 1960s, Italy). Com...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Vintage Elm Burl and Brass Greek Key Credenza by William Doezema for MastercraftBy Charak Furniture Company, Mastercraft, William DoezemaLocated in Brooklyn, NYLuxurious plinth-base credenza / sideboard in burled Carpathian elm wood with inlaid brass details and highly stylized Greek Key brass hardware designed by William Doezema for Master...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsBrass
- Jens Risom Armchair for KnollBy Knoll, Jens RisomLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis armchair is an early example of Jens Risom's design for Knoll and is a simple yet innovative design. The chair is two separate pieces: a singular seat / back component is simply...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBirch, Textile
- Pair of Vintage Charles Pfister for Knoll Leather Cube ChairsBy Knoll, Charles PfisterLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of cube lounge / club chairs designed in 1971 by Charles Pfister for Knoll retaining their original 'eggplant' leather and ebonized steel block feet. Nicely proportioned design ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Bouclé Slipper Chairs Designed by Jens Risom for H.G. Knoll AssociatesBy Jens Risom, KnollLocated in Brooklyn, NYJens Risom for H.G. Knoll Associates armless slipper chairs composed of upholstered seats supported by walnut bases (first appearing in the 1942 Knoll catalog). There is a slight d...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
- 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
- 1960s Knoll Credenza Ebonized Wood Marble Florence Knoll DesignBy KnollLocated in Chula Vista, CA1960s Knoll Credenza Florence Knoll design no label Marble Chrome Ebonized Wood 26 h x 18 d x 74.63 Preowned vintage condition Refer to images provided. D...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Chrome
- Florence Knoll designed four door credenza for KnollBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Ferndale, MIVery clean and original early Florence Knoll for Knoll Associates Credenza. Teak cabinet with cream doors and maple veneer interior . Left side of cabinet holds two drawers and tw...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWood
- Florence Knoll CredenzaBy Florence KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CAFlorence knoll credenza in oak and marble, USA, 1961.Category
Vintage 1960s American Credenzas
MaterialsMarble
Price Upon Request - Florence Knoll Eight-Drawer Credenza in TeakwoodBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Chicago, ILFlorence Knoll Eight-Drawer Credenza in Teakwood, features Notch pulls with chrome details, Four file drawers and Four pencil drawers, chrome plated adjustable feet, with lock. [Kno...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
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.