Model 31 Lounge Chairs with Kvadrat Fabric from Florence Knoll, 1950s, Set of 2

Florence Knoll for Knoll International, pair of "Model 31" lounge chairs designed in 1954, original edition manufactured in Belgium under license from Knoll in the late 1950s.
The frames have been lightly sanded and repainted. New foam blocks for the seats and backrests. New upholstery in Kvadrat Sisu fabric.
H 73 cm x D 66 cm x W 63 cm.
Seat height 43 cm.
Florence Knoll (1917–2019)

Architect, designer, and major figure of American modernism

Born Florence Schust in 1917 in the United States, Florence Knoll lost her parents at a young age. She began her architectural studies at Kingswood School in Michigan, where she was closely connected to the family of Eliel Saarinen, who played a pivotal role in her education. She continued her studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the Architectural Association in London, and then the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she studied under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, earning her architecture degree.

In 1946, she married Hans Knoll, founder of the Hans G. Knoll Furniture Company. The company then became Knoll Associates, Inc., and quickly established itself as a key player in modern design in the United States.

An architect, interior planner, and furniture designer, Florence Knoll played a pivotal role in defining modern corporate design in 1950s America. She helped make American modernism an international language by developing a rational and architectural approach to interior design, based on clarity of space, functionality, and coherence between architecture, furniture, and textiles.

Her interiors, characterized by open, light-filled spaces, rigorously structured furniture, elegant fabrics, and compositions that encourage informal interaction, profoundly influenced postwar design. This clean and functional aesthetic positioned Knoll among the most influential companies of its time.

Among her iconic projects are the interior design of the CBS offices, the Seagram Building, and Look magazine in New York. After her husband's death, Florence Knoll became president of Knoll Associates and remained its creative director until 1965, before leaving the company to pursue an independent design career.