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Modern Furniture by International Designers
Modern furniture collected by museums. In
search of luxury modern furniture: the luxury of having style that holds its own
in any setting combined with lavish comfort. Midcentury modern furniture has
unmistakable style, but it is important to differentiate between authentic
reproductions and the many imitations that are now available. Knoll manufactures
each piece according to the original and exacting specifications of the
designer. Available are the iconic pieces which brought Scandinavian modernism
to the United States: Risom Lounge Chair by Danish-born Jens Risom (1916-), the
first chair ever produced by Knoll (1941); and Womb Chair and Ottoman, and Tulip
Chairs and Table by Finnish-born Eero Saarinen
(1910 - 1961). These pieces not only have a sculptural beauty that enhances
homes and business spaces alike, but also the comfort level that you associate
with American "lounge." Go to: Eero Saarinen,
Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer,
Arne Jacobsen Modern Seating,
Poul Kjrholm Chairs See also Modern
Lighting
Bertoia
With his iconic seating collection, Harry Bertoia
transformed industrial wire rods into a new furniture form. Bertoia was given
the freedom to work on whatever suited him, without being held to a strict
design agenda, and the result of this arrangement was the Bertoia Seating
Collection (1952). Featuring a delicate filigreed appearance that’s supremely
strong, these airy seats are sculpted out of steel rods. In his art, Bertoia
experimented with open forms and metal work, and these chairs were an extension
of that work. “If you look at the chairs, they are mainly made of air, like
sculpture," said Bertoia. ”Space passes through them.” After designing his
seating collection, Bertoia returned to focusing mostly on sculpture.
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| Bertoia Side Chair with Full Cover Bouclé
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Bertoia Bench
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| The full cover’s rich, nubby texture is evocative of traditional
handwoven textiles. |
Simple, elegant Bench of painted wood slats spanning a metal frame.
Solid wood slats are pretreated to prevent sagging or warping. |
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Bertoia Asymmetric Chaise with Seat Pad
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| With his iconic seating collection, Harry Bertoia transformed
industrial wire rods into a new furniture form. The events that made
this work possible began a decade earlier at Cranbrook Academy of Art
when Bertoia met Florence Knoll Bassett (then Florence Schust). Years
later, the Italian-born designer was invited to work for Florence and
her husband Hans Knoll. |
Mies' daring design of furniture, pieces that exhibit an
unerring sense of proportion, as well as minimalist forms and exquisitely
refined details. In fact, his chairs have been called architecture in miniature
exercises in structure and materials that achieve an extraordinary visual
harmony as autonomous pieces or in relation to the interiors for which they were
originally designed.
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| Krefeld Lounge Chair
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Krefeld Ottoman
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| Featuring Mies’ signature style, with clean lines and no excess
ornamentation or overstuffing, these pieces have an inviting warmth that
suits virtually any residential lounge space, as well as lobbies,
reception areas, hotels and public spaces. The Krefeld Lounge Chair is
manufactured by Knoll® according to the original and exacting
specifications of the designer. |
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe conceived the Krefeld Collection in 1927 as
a complement to his brick and glass design for the Esters and Lange
residences in Krefeld, Germany |
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| Krefeld Two Seater
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Krefeld Sofa
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| Ludwig Mies van der Rohe conceived the Krefeld Collection in 1927 as
a complement to his brick and glass design for the Esters and Lange
residences in Krefeld, Germany. Featuring Mies’ signature style, with
clean lines and no excess ornamentation or overstuffing, these pieces
have an inviting warmth that suits virtually any residential lounge
space, as well as lobbies, reception areas, hotels and public spaces. |
Never put into production during Mies van der Rohe’s lifetime,
Knoll® partnered with the Museum of Modern Art to resurrect the Krefeld
Lounge Collection in 2004, basing the design on original drawings from
the museum’s archive. Featuring Mies’ signature style, with clean lines
and no excess ornamentation or overstuffing |
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| MR Chaise Lounge
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MR Adjustable Chaise Lounge
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| Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s MR Chaise Lounge was designed in 1927 as
part of his contribution to the Weissenhof exhibit in Stuttgart,
Germany. The chair’s cantilevered design uses tubular steel, then a
technological novelty, to create an intuitively accessible and ergonomic
seat. |
The MR Chaise Lounge, still made to his specifications, is perfectly
balanced, featuring the material innovation and lack of ornamentation
that epitomize the International Style. |
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| Barcelona® Couch
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Barcelona® Stool
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| Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Couch (1930) was added to his
Barcelona Collection in the year following the introduction of the Chair
and Stool. Still produced to his original specifications, the couch
gained widespread popularity in 1953, when architect Philp Johnson
selected it for his New York apartment. |
Mies van der Rohe designed the chair to serve as seating for the
king and queen of Spain, while the stool was intended to accommodate
their attendants. Still produced to his original specifications,
Barcelona is of quality fit for royalty. |
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Brno Tubular Chair
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Barcelona® Table
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| One of the first cantilevered chair designs to be produced, Ludwig
Mies van der Rohe's Brno Tubular Chair (1930) is the most elegant of its
kind. The mirror-finish chromed tubular steel frame is fluidly bent into
a sinuous single-piece form, which gracefully supports the sitter while
seemingly defying gravity. |
The table is often paired with the Barcelona Chair for their
stylistic parallels. Absolute in its elegance, this classic design
continues to refresh contemporary environments. |
Arne Jacobsen designed the SAS Royal Hotel in
Copenhagen, as well as many of the furnishings. For its busy lobby, he created
the biomorphic Egg (1958) and Swan, which are believed to be the first swiveling
upholstered chairs. A tilt mechanism allows for relaxed lounging and the high
back and curving elements are reminiscent of a traditional wing chair. Together
they cocoon the sitter in a single-piece molded shell that appears to hover over
the floor. Denmark. The Series 7 Chair debuted in 1955 at the H55
exhibition in Sweden, and the appeal of what remains one of the most copied
chairs of the modern era is its shape. The chair is ideally suited to the human
body, its seatback has a comfortable "give" and its waterfall seat edge doesn't
press into legs. Once made by hand, production is now automated and led by a
team who ensure the authentic Series 7 is perfect every time. Suitable for
contract use. Stacks 6 high. Made in Denmark. Original design and licensed
manufacture by Republic of Fritz Hansen
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| Swan Sofa
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Swan Sofa
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| Before the Swan Chair and Sofa (1958), Arne Jacobsen’s architecture
and designs were shaped by an assumption of materials’ natural ways of
resisting. In other words, he could make them go only so far in becoming
the structure he desired. With new technologies, however, the old rules
no longer applied and he was able to shape fluid curves and single-piece
molded shells. The Swan Sofa is now made from polyurethane foam, but at
the time, Jacobsen used Styropore® to create its continuous shape.
Original design and licensed manufacture by Republic of Fritz Hansen.
Made in Denmark. |
A single upholsterer hand sews the fabric or leather onto the frame
of the Swan. This requires up to 1,000 stitches, the rhythm of which is
unique to the hands holding the needle. |
Although Saarinen made his reputation in the United States
following World War II, he had his roots in Europe. Until 1923, he lived in
Finland with his father Eliel Saarinen an architect of the National Romantic
movement. He called himself a "form giver" and everything he designed had a
strong sculptural quality. Saarinen and Eames collaborated on various projects,
culminating in a range of furniture that won first prize at an exhibition held
at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1940 entitled, "Organic Design in
Home Furnishings." After 1946, however Eames went to work for Herman Miller;
Saarinen became associated with Knoll Associates. A number of Saarinen’s chairs
for Knoll were to become landmarks in the history of 20th century design.
In the 1920s, Marcel Breuer began to
experiment with tubular steel, creating some of the most influential furniture
to come out of the Bauhaus. Breuer considered
his designs essential for modern living.
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Wassily Chair
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Laccio Table - Small
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Laccio Table - Large
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| Believed to be the first bent tubular steel chair
design, the Wassily Chair distills the traditional club chair to a
series of strong, spare lines, executed with dynamic material
counterpoint. |
In the 1920s, Marcel Breuer began to experiment with
tubular steel, creating some of the most influential furniture to come
out of the Bauhaus. |
Spurred by Breuer's design of a low table to
accompany the Wassily Chair, the very simple, very clever multipurpose
Laccio nesting tables exhibit his rationalist aesthetic and accomplished
technique. The construction is extremely stable; the materials are of
exceptional quality. |
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PK22 Easy Chair - Wicker
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PK22 Easy Chair - Leather
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| Much of Poul Kjrholm's furniture was intended for his own home,
located north of Copenhagen and designed by his wife, architect Hanne
Kjrholm. |
His PK22 Easy Chair (1956) was inspired by the light, elegant
klismos chair created by the ancient Greeks. |
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