Executive Knoll Walnut Desk with Return
View Similar Items
Executive Knoll Walnut Desk with Return
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.75 in (75.57 cm)Width: 66 in (167.64 cm)Depth: 64 in (162.56 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1963
- Condition:Minor imperfections exist to frames; tops and drawer fronts refinished with lacquer and in excellent condition.
- Seller Location:South Charleston, WV
- Reference Number:Seller: KnollLH1stDibs: LU1616216273771
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.
- Thin Profile Walnut Desk with Chrome AccentsLocated in South Charleston, WVA sophisticated and practical desk in American Black Walnut. Measures 60.25" wide, 20" deep and 29" tall. Features styling much in the vein of Kipp Stewart with chrome finger pulls, high-end file drawer sliding hardware identical to Knoll International, and built in steel dividers in the 2 file drawers. Features 2 pencil drawers also. Matched walnut throughout, adjustable feet and a thoughtful minor lip along the ends of the table. Note the dowel jointed framing on the sides. Knee hole area is a generous 28.5" wide and about 27" tall and has a privacy panel...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Desk or Vanity by Lane, Tuxedo series with chairBy Lane FurnitureLocated in South Charleston, WVBlack Walnut. With original chair. 44" x 18" 30 1/8" tall. Chair is 20" deep, 18.5" wide and 33.75" tall, seat height 18.5". Hard to find and exquisite desk or vanity by Lane Tuxedo ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsWalnut
- Desk or Conference Table by Lehigh LeopoldBy Lehigh LeopoldLocated in South Charleston, WV71 5/8 x 35 5/8 x 28.75". Lehigh Leopold circa 1970. May be used as a conference table or executive desk. An exceptional piece of furniture, over engineered and industrial strengt...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsAluminum, Steel
- Large Knoll Sofa TablesBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in South Charleston, WVVery large. Produced 1960's 30" x 30" x 19" tall this set of large tables are designed specifically for use with chairs or sofas as side or end tables. A good minimalist design with ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsSteel
$1,250 Sale Price / set40% Off - Set of 15 Tandem Stacking Seats by Don Albinson for Knoll with CartBy Knoll, Don AlbinsonLocated in South Charleston, WVDon Albinson 1965, Knoll International, Plastic, aluminum Price is for set of 15. Comes with the dolly for easy moving. Heavily discounted for clearance for new premises. This listing is for the 15 tandem seat...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Early Chair Attributed to Jens Risom for KnollBy Jens Risom, KnollLocated in South Charleston, WVA very early chair that is attributed to Jens Risom for Knoll. The chair features a vinyl type finish that is in good condition with a few marks and light staining. The legs have ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
- Vintage Walnut Executive Desk by Florence KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in North Hollywood, CAAmazing vintage executive desk designed by architect and furniture designer Florence Knoll in the United States, circa 1960s. This iconic design...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- 1950s Florence Knoll Double Pedestal Walnut Chrome and Laminate Executive DeskBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is a double pedestal desk, model 1503, designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll Associates. This is an original example dating to circa late 1950s. It is cons...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Desks
MaterialsChrome
- 1960s Florence Knoll Executive Desk in Walnut w/ Chromed-Steel X-Base Model 2485By Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a Florence Knoll Executive Desk, Model 2485, initially designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll in 1954. This particular example date...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Desks
MaterialsChrome, Steel
- 1960s Florence Knoll Partners Desk or Executive Table in Rosewood, Model 2485By Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a Florence Knoll Partners Desk or Executive Table, Model 2485, designed in 1961. It was manufactured in the early 1960s by Knoll International based on the 320 Park Avenue la...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Desks
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- 1960s Walnut and Chrome Executive DeskBy Florence KnollLocated in Cedar Falls, IA1960s walnut and chrome executive desk in the style of Florence Knoll. Nice walnut grain and color throughout, including exceptional 76x28 work surface. Features 5 drawers, complet...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsChrome
- Florence Knoll-Inspired Executive Desk: Mid-Century Modern EleganceBy KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CAImmerse yourself in the definitive charm of the 1960s with our executive desk, inspired by the legendary Florence Knoll. This piece is a modern tribute to the sleek and innovative de...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsMetal
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.