Donald Knorr Chair, Knoll Associates 1948
About the Item
- Creator:Donald Knorr (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 22.5 in (57.15 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Steel,Lacquered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1948
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. Original condition with beautiful patina.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU111122465422
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.
You May Also Like
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Slipper Chairs
Steel, Wrought Iron
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum, Chrome
Vintage 1940s Swedish Industrial Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum
1990s German Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Metal
20th Century American Bauhaus Chairs
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass, Steel
