I recently bought a 1950's vintage Florence Knoll coffee table, the kind with the square tubular chrome base that is still in production today. The one has a rosewood top, which was at one point an option on these tables. It has the old mid-50s red/white Knoll label underneath and everything about the construction looks exactly right -- but what is confusing to me about it is the size. It's 38" x 27" (x 17" high) and nowhere can I find Knoll having offered the coffee table in that size (the 27" x 27" x 17" is a standard size). And I can't find another example in that size anywhere. It isn't that I think the table isn't genuine, but I am just wondering why I can't find any evidence of it existing in that size -- anyone have any ideas?
Thanks!
In case anybody's interested ...
In case anybody's interested in this topic, I figured I'd follow up on my thread, since I got an answer. I sent my question to Knoll along with some photos and they got back to me, confirming that the table is authentic and that a size close to what I have was in their archives -- and also that Knoll did in fact make the tables available in custom sizes.
I am resuscitating my own old...
I am resuscitating my own old thread here, and sorry for delving in minutiae, but I found this interesting (and I may very well be the only one who does). As I wrote above, Knoll did some research for me on my odd size -- 38" x 27" -- coffee table and told me it was authentic but they had no record of that size and said it was probably a custom order.
Well this week on Ebay I saw a Knoll table in the exact same size as mine, 38" x 27" x 17". The seller thinks his has a walnut top. I wrote to the guy who is selling it asking about the label and he sent me a photo - it's the 1960's Knoll Associates label, where mine has the earlier diamond label, so there are at least a few years between them in production. Makes me think it was a standard size that Knoll offered, but then I wonder why they are so uncommon and why Knoll has no knowledge of this size being offered.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140518310742&ssPageNa...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140518310742&ssPageNa...
flo knoll table info
The company I used to work for had one of the long tables you describe, with a marble top. Provenance is good, since the building was heavily furnished in Knoll ca 1980.
Before I left there I grabbed a few pieces headed for the dumpster, including one of the walnut topped square flo knolls (which they set out by a driveway - luckily not raining!), a couple brnos, several steelcase d-arms and a saarinen executive armchair. Pretty nice freebies.
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