American Design 
18 February 2021
Florence Knoll, Early Executive Office cabinets, pair - Image 1 of 3
Florence Knoll, Early Executive Office cabinets, pair - Image 2 of 3
Florence Knoll, Early Executive Office cabinets, pair - Image 3 of 3
American Design 
Florence Knoll, Early Executive Office cabinets, pair - Image 1 of 3
Florence Knoll, Early Executive Office cabinets, pair - Image 2 of 3
Florence Knoll, Early Executive Office cabinets, pair - Image 3 of 3
191

Florence Knoll

Early Executive Office cabinets, pair

Knoll Associates
USA, 1961 / c. 1961-62
rosewood, marble, chrome-plated brass and steel, aluminum 25½ h × 37¼ w × 19 d in (65 × 95 × 48 cm)
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $8,125
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One cabinet features two drawers with dividers, a removable organizer tray and two file drawers; additional example features four drawers with dividers and one file drawer. Both cabinets are finished on the reverse and include locks and keys. Applied manufacturer's labels to each example ‘Knoll Associates, Inc. 320 Park Ave., New York 22. N.Y.’.
provenance: Acquired in 1962 by Alvin H. Schechter, New York | Acquired from the previous in 1995 by the present owner, Private Collection, New York
These early examples were originally acquired en suite with this Florence Knoll Executive Desk.

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Knoll Design

From the Collection of Alvin H. Schechter

The original purchaser of the present lot was Alvin H. Schechter (b. 1933), a retired design and marketing consultant who was the chairman and chief executive officer of The Schechter Group in New York, a leading firm in the field of corporate branding and identity. In 1995 his firm merged with Interbrand US, the world’s leading brand consultancy, with Mr. Schechter appointed as its chairman. Clients of Interbrand-Schechter included H.J. Heinz, I.B.M., Mobil, Pepsico, Volvo and other Fortune 500 companies.

A great admirer of Knoll furniture and a Master of Fine Arts graduate of Yale University, Mr. Schechter began his distinguished career as a designer for Raymond Loewy Associates and is listed as a notable design and marketing consultant by Marquis Who’s Who. The recipient of numerous professional awards, he is an honored member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Package Design Council International. His influential essay, “Measuring the Value of Corporate and Brands Logos” Design Management Journal, Vol. 4, N° 1 (Winter 1993), raised a new awareness of the importance of graphic design in building corporate identity, which was a focus of Florence Knoll’s own practice in developing the Knoll company brand.

No compromise, ever.

Florence Knoll

Florence Knoll 1917–2019

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Florence Knoll (née Florence Schust) was born in Michigan in 1917. As a child, she was enrolled in the Kingswood School, a division of the Cranbrook School of Art. Eliel and Loja Saarinen, parents of architect Eero Saarinen, quickly noted her talents, and she became a close friend of the family often joining them on vacations to their summer home in Finland. In 1935, Knoll studied urban planning at Columbia University and continued her degree at the Architectural Association of London from 1938 to 1939. World War II brought Knoll back to the United States where she finished her degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago studying under Mies van der Rohe. After graduating, Knoll moved to Massachusetts to work in the office of Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer.

Auction Results Florence Knoll

FLORENCE KNOLL, Executive Office cabinet | Wright20.com

Florence Knoll

Executive Office cabinet

estimate: $3,000–5,000

result: $17,500
FLORENCE KNOLL, custom cabinet | Wright20.com

Florence Knoll

custom cabinet

estimate: $5,000–7,000

result: $11,250
FLORENCE KNOLL, cabinet, model 122 | Wright20.com

Florence Knoll

cabinet, model 122

estimate: $3,000–5,000

result: $10,000
FLORENCE KNOLL, Executive Office cabinet | Wright20.com

Florence Knoll

Executive Office cabinet

estimate: $4,000–6,000

result: $10,000

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