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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.

Bertoia Side Chair with Full Cover – Bouclé Bertoia Bench
 Bertoia Side Chair with Full Cover Bouclé  Bertoia Bench
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.

 

Bertoia Diamond Lounge Chair with Full Cover – Bouclé Bertoia Bird Chair and Ottoman with Full Cover – Bouclé
 Bertoia Diamond Lounge Chair with Full Cover Bouclé  Bertoia Bird Chair and Ottoman with Full Cover Bouclé
Full cover is stretched over wire seat basket and attached to seat basket with hooks. The Bird Chair and Ottoman have been in continuous production since 1952.

 

Bertoia Asymmetric Chaise with Seat Pad
 Bertoia Asymmetric Chaise with Seat Pad
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 van der Rohe Germany 1886-1969

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.

Krefeld Lounge Chair Krefeld Ottoman
 Krefeld Lounge Chair  Krefeld Ottoman
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

 

Krefeld Two Seater Krefeld Sofa
 Krefeld Two Seater  Krefeld Sofa
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

 

Krefeld Bench
 Krefeld Bench

 

MR Chaise Lounge MR Adjustable Chaise Lounge
 MR Chaise Lounge  MR Adjustable Chaise Lounge
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.

 

Barcelona® Couch Barcelona® Stool
 Barcelona® Couch  Barcelona® Stool
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.

 

Brno Tubular Chair Barcelona® Table
 Brno Tubular Chair  Barcelona® Table
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 Modern Seating

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

Swan™ Sofa Swan™ Sofa
 Swan Sofa  Swan Sofa
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.

 

Egg™ Chair Egg™ Footstool
 Egg Chair  Egg Footstool

 

Swan Chair - Leather Swan Chair - Fabric
 Swan Chair - Leather  Swan Chair - Fabric

Eero Saarinen

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.

Womb™ Ottoman - Gold
Womb Chair - Gold
 Womb Ottoman - Gold

 

Womb™ Chair - Fabric Womb™ Chair - Leather
 Womb Chair - Fabric
 Womb Ottoman - Fabric
Womb Chair - Leather
 Womb Ottoman - Leather

 

Saarinen Executive Side Chair - Wood Legs Saarinen Executive Armchair - Wood Legs Saarinen Executive Side Chair - Metal Legs
 Saarinen Executive Side Chair - Wood Legs  Saarinen Executive Armchair - Wood Legs  Saarinen Executive Side Chair - Metal Legs

 

Saarinen Side Table Saarinen Executive Armchair - Metal Legs Saarinen Low Oval Coffee Table
 Saarinen Side Table  Saarinen Executive Armchair - Metal Legs  Saarinen Low Oval Coffee Table

 

Saarinen Executive Side Chair with Wood Legs - Leather Saarinen Executive Side Chair with Metal Legs - Leather
 Saarinen Executive Side Chair with Wood Legs - Leather  Saarinen Executive Side Chair with Metal Legs - Leather

Marcel Breuer

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.

Wassily Chair Laccio Table - Small Laccio Table - Large
 Wassily Chair  Laccio Table - Small  Laccio Table - Large
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.

Poul Kjrholm Chairs

PK22 Easy Chair - Wicker PK22 Easy Chair - Leather
 PK22 Easy Chair - Wicker  PK22 Easy Chair - Leather
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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Last modified: March 18, 2010