FUR-092 Florence Knoll for Knoll International — Wall-Mount Floating Sideboard / Credenza, Walnut & White Lacquer, Leather Pulls, Knoll Label, c.1950s–60s

Florence Knoll for Knoll International
Wall-Mount Floating Sideboard / Credenza | Walnut & White Lacquer | Leather Pulls
Original Knoll International Label | c.1950s–60s
H 18 in. × W 72 in. × D 15.5 in.

A rare and iconic wall-mounted floating sideboard by Florence Knoll for Knoll International — one of the most significant and collectible pieces of American mid-century modernism. This early production cabinet in walnut with white lacquered interior and original leather pulls exemplifies everything that made Florence Knoll's storage series the defining standard for postwar modernist interiors. At six feet wide and just 18 inches tall, it hugs the wall with elegant authority, appearing to float — a defining visual effect of Knoll's most sophisticated interior schemes. The original Knoll International label is present, confirming authenticity.

Florence Knoll (1917–2019) was among the most consequential figures in 20th-century American design. Orphaned at age 12, she was taken under the wing of Eliel Saarinen at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she befriended Harry Bertoia, Charles and Ray Eames, and Eero Saarinen. She later studied under Bauhaus masters Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, and Marcel Breuer — arguably the most extraordinary design education in American history. When she married Hans Knoll in 1946 and took over as head of the company after his death in 1955, she transformed Knoll Inc. into the preeminent force in American modernist furniture and interior design, signing Saarinen, Bertoia, and Mies as designers and planning landmark offices for IBM, CBS, and the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company.

The wall-mounted credenza series — among Florence Knoll's most enduring storage designs — was conceived as part of her revolutionary approach to office planning, in which furniture was integrated into the architecture of the space itself. The floating cabinet eliminated visual clutter at floor level, maximized the sense of space, and brought storage into elegant dialogue with the wall plane. Today these pieces are equally prized in residential settings, where the walnut and white lacquer combination remains one of the most harmonious material pairings of the era.

The two drop-down doors with leather pulls are signature Knoll design details — refined, tactile, and unmistakably of their moment. The white lacquered interior provides bright, organized storage. The piece mounts to the wall and can serve as a sideboard, bar cabinet, media console, bookcase, or server.

Details:

• Designer: Florence Knoll (American, 1917–2019)
• Manufacturer: Knoll International
• Period: c.1950s–60s
• Materials: Walnut case; white lacquered interior and doors; original leather pulls
• Configuration: Two drop-down doors; wall-mount / floating
• Dimensions: H 18 in. × W 72 in. × D 15.5 in.
• Label: Original Knoll International label present

Condition: Irregular finish wear to one side top. Small stains and rings to top. Minor nicks and scratches. Wear consistent with age and use. Please review all photos carefully.

A signed, labeled Florence Knoll floating sideboard — one of the canonical objects of American modernism, by the most important woman in the history of American design.