Set of Three Florence Knoll Model 75 Stacking Stools, 1940's
View Similar Items
Set of Three Florence Knoll Model 75 Stacking Stools, 1940's
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)Diameter: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 3
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1948-1950
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Recently refinished.
- Seller Location:Bainbridge, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 1137080620COSMO105211stDibs: LU913920112382
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.
- Pair of Florence Knoll Model 65 Chrome Slipper Lounge Chairs, 1973By Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Bainbridge, NYClassic pair of florence Knoll chromed steel and Earthen Fabric Lounge chairs. Featuring 1 inch reflective sturdy, solid Chromed Steel constructed framework, angled rear legs and bac...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Kai Kristiansen Set of Three Walnut Nesting Tables, 1960sBy Kai Kristiansen, Vildbjerg MøbelfabrikLocated in Bainbridge, NYOrganic Modern Kai Kristiansen for Vildbjerg Møbelfabrik trio of Walnut stacking tables. Featuring smooth, rounded rectangular dark, beautifully...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Set of Three Benjamin Baldwin Stye Tractor Seat Swivel Stools, 1950sBy Benjamin BaldwinLocated in Bainbridge, NYTrio of American Mid Century handcrafted tractor seat bar stools in the style of Benjamin Baldwin. Featuring a sturdy, open Iron framework, foo...Category
Mid-20th Century American Industrial Stools
MaterialsIron
- Pair of Thonet White and Black Bakelite Stacking Stools, 1930sBy Thonet, Alvar AaltoLocated in Bainbridge, NYEarly, classic pair of Thonet Nesting Tables, Stacking Stools in White Bakelite atop Black, ebonized, bentwood legs. Attributed to Alvar Aalto. Seat 14D. Stackable. Additional seati...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Stools
MaterialsBakelite, Wood
- Florence Knoll Black Walnut and Black Iron Square Coffee Table, 1960'sBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Bainbridge, NYAmerican Mid Century Florence Knoll for Knoll Associates Black Walnut & Black Iron Side Table, End Table, Occasional Table. Featuring Classic T angle Black Iron base with replaced s...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsIron
- Set of Five Poul Hundevad Hanging Teak Nest Tables, 1960'sBy Poul Hundevad, Novy DomovLocated in Bainbridge, NYSet of 5 Danish Modern Poul Hundevad Denmark for Novy Domov Walnut finish Nesting Tables. Featuring a rectangular trolley on four casters, 4 individual, (1/2H) round, drop leaf foldi...Category
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Florence Knoll, Model 75 Stools, Birch, Iron, Knoll Associates, USA, 1948By Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in High Point, NCA pair of birch and iron stools, model 75, designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll Associates, USA, 1948.Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsIron
- Set of custom ordered Florence Knoll BenchesBy Florence Knoll, 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 stool / bench in leather for Knoll AssociatesBy Florence Knoll, 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
- Florence Knoll stoolBy Florence KnollLocated in PARIS, FRStool model 75 by designer Florence Knoll for Knoll International, 1950s. Black Formica seat resting on a black lacquered tubular base. In perfect condition. DV505-506Category
Mid-20th Century Stools
MaterialsFormica
$1,139 / item - Florence Knoll stoolBy Florence KnollLocated in PARIS, FRStool model 75 designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, 1950s. White Formica seat resting on a black lacquered tubular base. In perfect condition. DV504Category
Mid-20th Century Stools
MaterialsFormica
$1,139 - Custom Florence Knoll BenchBy Florence Knoll, 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
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.