Knoll sofa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Knoll sofa is a classic English furniture design that originated in England in the seventeenth century. This form of soft furnishing design features adjustable side arms and considerable depth of seating. The classic design was continued to be manufactured by the Knoll company and imitative brands until the nineteenth century in England. Currently these sofas are prized by collectors and those seeking period furnishings; they are available principally through antique dealers and auction houses.^[1] The classic Knoll sofa often has exposed wooden knobs at the rear corner tops, and some exposed wood may be present on the otherwise upholstered arms. Characteristically the side arms are tied to the sofa back by means of heavy decorative braid, often with an elaborate tassel.

[edit] In literature

A number of references to the Knoll sofa are found in literature; for example, Marlowe notes the usage in his book Memoirs of a Venus Lackey^[2] In literature the Knoll sofa is sometimes mentioned in the context of a room decorated with fine antique furniture such as in the novel In High Places,^[3] in which the Knoll sofa is positioned in a room with a fine Kerman antique carpet.