Pair Vintage BKF Hardoy for Knoll Cream Leather Butterfly Stool

Item DetailsManufacturerSeller InformationShipping ReturnsThe 1stDibs Promise

About the Item

Classic butterfly ottoman in stunning cream leather, designed by Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy and produced by Knoll. An essential companion to the butterfly chair, the design echoes its stylish low-slung profile. Sling is made from high-quality saddle leather, with hand-stitched details. Our vintage example has nicely broken-in leather with age-appropriate wear that adds to its rugged charm. Black wire frame is strong with all welds intact. Minor bend to one ottoman,

Measures: 18 long x 18 wide x 18 high, seat height.Creator: Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)Dimensions: Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Sold As: Set of 2Style: Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)Materials and Techniques: Iron,Leather,WeldedPlace of Origin: United StatesPeriod: 1960-1969Date of Manufacture: 1960sCondition: GoodWear consistent with age and use. minor bend to one iron strut,, minor rust,,original finish..Seller Location: Buffalo, NYReference Number: 1stDibs: LU1062424927302Shop All Knoll

Knoll

As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.

The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigr leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems as Knoll’s mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.

Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair created by Mies and Lilly Reich Saarinens pedestal Tulip chair, Breuers tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.

As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer’s offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.