Wall Hanging Cabinet by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, Germany, c. 1950
View Similar Items
Wall Hanging Cabinet by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, Germany, c. 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Florence Knoll (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)Width: 72.05 in (183 cm)Depth: 15.36 in (39 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor structural damages. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1972333406532
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.
- Unique Low Cabinet with Intarsia by Viktor Lurje for Wiener Werkstätte c. 1926By Wiener Werkstätte, Viktor LurjeLocated in Berlin, DEUnique low cabinet with intarsia designed by the architect, artist and craftsman Viktor Lurje (1883-1944) and manufactured by Wiener Werkstätte GmbH, circ...Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Vienna Secession Cabinets
MaterialsWood
- Modernist Secretary Cabinet, Lacquered Wood, Chrome-Plated Metal, CustomizableBy GMD BerlinLocated in Berlin, DEGerman modernism free-standing secretary cabinet designed and manufactured by GMD Berlin. Wood lacquering in various colors and finish. Available on request in different amounts.Category
2010s German Modern Secretaires
MaterialsSteel
- Customizable Storage Cabinet in Lacquered Wood and Tubular Steel HardwareBy GMD BerlinLocated in Berlin, DEBespoke wooden storage cabinet manufactured by GMD Berlin. Wood finish in various colors and finishes. Also available in veneered wood. Avail...Category
2010s German Modern Cabinets
MaterialsSteel
- Modernist Storage Cabinet in Lacquered Wood and Tubular Steel Hardware, BespokeBy GMD BerlinLocated in Berlin, DEBespoke wooden storage cabinet manufactured by GMD Berlin. Wood finish in various colors and finishes. Also available in veneered wood. Available on request in different amounts. De...Category
2010s German Modern Cabinets
MaterialsSteel
- Modernist Cabinet Made Of Chrome Plated Metal And Walnut Veneer, c. 1930By Robert SlezákLocated in Berlin, DEModernist Cabinet made of chrome plated metal and walnut veneer. Designed and manufactured by Robert Slezak, c. 1930. Restored on request. Delivery time c. 12-15 weeks.Category
Vintage 1930s Czech Art Deco Cabinets
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Modernist 4-Door Credenza, Lacquered Wood, Chrome-Plated Steel, CustomizableBy GMD BerlinLocated in Berlin, DEModernist rectangular 4-door 'Dahlem' credenza designed by GMD Berlin - Studio and manufactured by GMD Berlin. Handcrafted wood with lacquerer finish, chrome-plated tubular steel bas...Category
2010s German Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Mid-Century Wall-Hanging Sideboard by Florence Knoll, Knoll international, 1950sBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Rosendahl, DEExtremely rare wall-hung sideboard (Mod°123) from 1958, designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International - this version was produced in a small edition by Knoll in Stuttgart in 195...Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Florence Knoll for Knoll Small Hanging Cabinet / BarBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAFlorence Knoll for Knoll 1 Door Folding down Cabinet. 2 Available, one other one is shown in listing with legs. Cabinets were designed to hang or flo...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWalnut
- Sideboard Model 116 by Florence Knoll Bassett for Knoll International, 1950sBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Lasne, BESideboard with two sliding doors upholstered in elm wood cord with leather handles. Adjustable intermediate boards. Wear due to time and age of the sideboard.Category
Vintage 1950s Central American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsMetal
- Florence Knoll Hanging Cabinet for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Chicago, ILFlorence Knoll Hanging Cabinet for Knoll International, Model 121 Birch case with drop front doors. Inside pull-out drawer with flatwar...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsLeather, Birch
- Double-Decker Sideboard by Florence Knoll for Knoll InternationalBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Beerse, VANBeautiful and extremely rare double-decker sideboard designed by female designer Florence Knoll. She designed a series of these sideboards in the early 1950s, which were produced unt...Category
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsLeather, Formica, Walnut
- Small Modernist Sideboard by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, 1960sBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Antwerpen, VANSmall modernist sideboard designed by Florence Knoll Basset during the 1950s. This model is made of teak wood with leather handles and black metal square legs. Florence Knoll is know...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
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.