Exclusive Credenza with Refrigerator and Marble Top, by Florence Knoll, 1961
About the Item
- Creator:Florence Knoll (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 74.81 in (190 cm)Depth: 17.72 in (45 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Keys missing. This doesn't affect the use as opening/closing the doors/drawers.
- Seller Location:Schagen, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU180736121223
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Schagen, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Iconic Pastoe Credenza, Sideboard, Japanese Series, Model DU03 by Cees BraakmanBy Pastoe, Cees BraakmanLocated in Schagen, NLMindblowing and timeless design, this large sideboard/Credenza by Cees Braakman for Pastoe, The Netherlands. This piece was made from teakwood veneer and features four drawers and tw...Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMetal
- Exclusive Art Deco Style Lounge Chair With Footstool By Schuitema, Model Horta.By Schuitema & ZonenLocated in Schagen, NLAbsolute Comfort, is what you will find when taking place in this stunning lounge chair with footstool manufactured by Schuitema an Zonen, The Netherlands. The chair aswell as the fo...Category
Late 20th Century Dutch Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Rare Cubic Livingroom/Sofa Set by Walter Knoll, 1970sBy Walter KnollLocated in Schagen, NLThis wonderful set consists of a two seat sofa, an armchair and a coffee table and was manufactured in Germany during the 1970s. However the designer remains unknown, the name of ...Category
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Exclusive and Elegant Art Deco Style Dining Room Set by Schuitema en ZonenBy Schuitema & Zonen, Frits SchuitemaLocated in Schagen, NLThis wonderful dining room set was manufactured by (Frits) Schuitema & Zonen in the Netherlands. It features four exclusive Art Deco style ...Category
Late 20th Century Dutch Art Deco Dining Room Sets
MaterialsOak
- Galotti and Radice Exclusive Italian, Brass and Glass Magazineholder, 1970sBy Galotti & RadiceLocated in Schagen, NLChique magazineholder consisting of a thick curved glass, placed in a reversed position of the gilded base. In very good and functional condition. Light wear consisting with age and use, see, close up images. NOW TEMPORARY DISCOUNT PROMO CODE...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsMetal
- De Sede exclusive Black and Grey Sofa in Leather and FabricBy De Sede, Robert HaussmannLocated in Schagen, NLRare and exclusive 3 seat sofa, design attributed Robert Haussmann for De Sede Switzerland ca. 1970s-1980s. The sofa features a Black leather base with chrome legs and upholstery in...Category
Late 20th Century Swiss Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Fabric
- Rosewood Credenza with Marble Top by Florence KnollBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Dorchester, MAThis version of Florence Knoll's modernist credenza for Knoll features a gorgeous rosewood case sitting on slender chrome legs and topped with a marble slab that picks up the warmth ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Chrome
- Oak Credenza with Marble Top by Florence Knoll for KnollBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Florence Knoll in 1961, this handsome credenza comprises a light oak case on a chrome base with a marble top in "white extra." Four doors with inset handles conceal adju...Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Chrome
- Oak Credenza with Slate Top by Florence Knoll for KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Florence Knoll for Knoll, this iteration of her classic clean-lined credenza features a warm oak case sitting on slender chrome legs and topped with contrasting slate. In...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsSlate, Chrome
- Mid-Century Modern Florence Knoll for Knoll with Black Marble Top CredenzaBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAA sleek modern classic cabinet designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll. It features a dark mahogany case, stainless steel legs and a black mar...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Stainless Steel
- Florence Knoll Marble-Top Rosewood CredenzaBy Florence KnollLocated in San Francisco, CAFlorence Knoll rosewood and marble two door credenza on a matte brush steel base. Rare smaller size with a finished back side, no key.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsCarrara Marble
- Florence Knoll Credenza New Edition with Alpi Verdi Marble Top, 2010sBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Eindhoven, Noord BrabantThis Florence Knoll Credenza was originally designed in 1961 by Florence Knoll for Knoll. This Credenza is a new edition manufactured in 2012. The new Florence Knoll Credenza is updated for today's needs, This Florence Knoll credenza has a larger size with proper ventilation cutouts to accommodate AV racks and equipment. The generous new dimensions will ensure that all equipment and cords are hidden in style yet easily accessible, perfect for any high end living- and conference room. The door fronts are in same wood white lacquer finish as the body. All have polished aluminum pulls, top flush mounted storage doors with magnetic closures. The base is made of welded square steel finished with polished chrome. Flush door fronts in the same lacquer finish as the case. Complete rotating doors...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Metal
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.