Florence Knoll Round Table in Portoro Marble and Steel 60 Inch Top

Florence Knoll for Knoll International table, model 2480, portoro marble, metal, United States, design 1961

The stunning 2480 Table Desk, designed in 1961 by designer Florence Knoll. The top is structured by different color shades in black and white. A metal base with a four-star feet lifts up the table in a graceful way. This table was designed by Knoll to function as a table to work at and hold meetings. This was her personal take on reinventing the traditional executive desk, and she accomplished a revolution with her designs for office planning in the 1950s.

Florence Knoll (1917-) was trained as an architect and had a sense of style from a very young age. During her school time at Cranbrook, Eliel Saarinen (then the headmaster) and his family included her in their family. In 1936 she met Alvar Aalto and was trained by Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius and (as if the long list of eminen designers is not long enough) Mies van der Rohe. This meant that although she was barely out of her teens, she was educated by the best of the European modernists. When she arrived in New York she worked on interior projects (being the only female) which is how she came to know Hans Knoll. When Florence joined Knoll, the planning unit started. Florence also made sure that the designs where more 'American Modernist' instead of Scandinavian, When Hans Knoll died she took over and did it with the utmost skill and professionalism. Her long list of architect friends designed many famous pieces yet her own imprint on the company including her designs in what can be called 'humanist modernism' is what truly had the greatest impact.

Knoll International was founded in New York by the 26-year-old German Hans Knoll (1914-1955) in 1938. Hans' father, Walter Knoll was a true modernist and furniture manufacturer who had a reputation for quality. When Hans Knoll died at a young age his wife Florence Knoll took over and under her influence the company flourished and created its best designs. She designed and led the company where she cooperated with talented designers such as Eero Saarinen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Richard Schultz and Harry Bertoia. VAT within the EU: When buying or delivering an item within the EU, VAT usually applies and will be added.

VAT within the EU: When buying or delivering an item within the EU, VAT usually applies and will be added.