Dining Table Model 578 in Walnut by Florence Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.73 in (75.5 cm)Width: 78.75 in (200 cm)Depth: 37.41 in (95 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1958
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Dronten, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU931437579112
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: Dronten, Netherlands
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Massimo Morozzi Modular ‘Tangram’ Dining Table by CassinaBy Cassina, Massimo MorozziLocated in Dronten, NLMassimo Morozzi for Cassina, ‘Tangram’ dining table, painted beech, Italy, 1983. This design by Massimo Morozzi is modular and therefore versatile, playful in use and color, but stil...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBeech
- Florence Knoll Coffee TableBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Dronten, NLFlorence Knoll for Knoll International coffee table in white enameled steel and black laminate. Signed with decal manufacturer's label to underside. Literature: Knoll Furniture: 193...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Florence Knoll Model 65 Slipper Lounge Chair, 1956By Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Dronten, NLSlipper chair designed in 1955 by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll International. Model No. 65, produced from 1955-1973. We bought this chair directly from the family who bough...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Red Leather 72" Bench by Florence Knoll for Knoll InternationalBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Dronten, NLWhat a bold statement! Not the obligatory black leather, this Florence Knoll 72" Bench for Knoll is executed in the most exquisite red spinneybeck leather. Classic Knoll Design, fits...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Extendable Dining Table by Yngvar SandströmBy Nordiska Kompaniet, Yngvar SandströmLocated in Dronten, NLThis extendable dining table designed by Yngvar Sandström for Nordiska Kompaniet, Sweden is executed in oak with a teak top with oak edges. The rectangular tabletop has two additiona...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsOak, Teak
- Segmented Base Conference Table by Charles Eames for VitraBy Vitra, Charles EamesLocated in Dronten, NLLarge Charles & Ray Eames Segmented Base conference table made by Vitra in 2001. Beautiful beech book matched veneer one piece tabletop, marked with production date label. The base m...Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsAluminum, Chrome
- Mid Century Rosewood Conference Dining Table by Florence KnollBy Forma Brazil, Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in San Jose, CAVintage dining or conference table in Brazilian rosewood designed by Florence Knoll. This piece features a boat shaped tabletop supported by a rectangular steel base finished in poli...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Restored Vintage Florence Knoll Oval Top Rosewood Dining or Conference TableBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in St. Louis, MORestored Mid-Century Modern vintage Florence Knoll oval top dining table / conference or desk in rare book matched rosewood veneer on chrome star...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsChrome
- 8FT Florence Knoll Boat Shape Walnut Dining Conference TableBy Florence KnollLocated in Pasadena, TXAn 8ft mid century dining or conference table designed by Florence Knoll. Walnut base and top.Category
Vintage 1960s American Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Florence Knoll Oak and Re-Chromed Steel Base Dining or Conference TableBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Van Nuys, CAFlorence Knoll-designed oak dining table. This table features a 7' foot long top and a newly re-chromed steel base. This table was also sold as a conference table. The top was recently refinished along with the base being re-plated in chrome. This appears to be an original Knoll table...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Rare Early Florence Knoll Rosewood Dinning TableBy Florence KnollLocated in Mexico City, CDMXDated 1973, We offer this Rare Early Florence Knoll Rosewood Dinning Table, designed to furnish the new interiors of postwar America, this table is a scaled-down translation of the l...Category
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Florence Knoll Style Stow Davis Oval Dining Conference Table Desk Walnut BronzeBy Stow DavisLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis gorgeous midcentury table is incredibly practical. Because of its dimensions and purposeful design, it can serve as a dining table, a conference table, or as a majestic desk. The oval top, which is 1, 1/4 inch thick, has many alluring design elements, including a starburst pattern to the inlaid walnut top. The edge treatment includes an solid walnut bullnose tip crowning a knife-edge profile, as seen in the iconic designs by Florence Knoll. The base consists of a thick column supported by four splayed legs having levelling pods at the end of each. The base is constructed of steel and has a bronzed finish. Both the brass and paper manufacturer labels are intact on the underside of the top. There is a warm patina to the original finish on the walnut top. There are a few hard-to-see blemishes. And there is minor oxidation to the base. The table is quite heavy, but the design of the splayed legs more than adequately supports the expansive surface. So, no wobbling. You will love the original condition of this vintage and classic...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBronze, Steel
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.