Walter Knoll

Heritage

Walter Knoll traces its roots to 1865, when Wilhelm Knoll opened his leather shop in Stuttgart. "Knoll leather" became a hallmark of quality and the House of Württemberg named him supplier to the royal court. In 1906 the leather furnishings factory became a leather seating factory, and in 1907 his sons Willy and Walter took over and introduced the first club armchair to Germany. In the 1920s Walter Knoll founded his own company, Walter Knoll & Co. GmbH.

Philosophy

Walter Knoll calls itself the furniture brand of modernity. Its Prodomo models of the 1920s are described by the company as the first modern upholstered furniture in history, and in 1927 it furnished apartments by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at the Weissenhof Estate in Stuttgart. After 1945 the company again championed a modern way of life with the Vostra armchair, and in the 1970s it built a contract division for executive offices, conference rooms and lobbies.

Iconic Works

• Prodomo lightweight armchairs, which furnished the Do X flying boat
• Vostra armchair (1949 upholstered version)
• Berlin Chair, created with Meinhard von Gerkan for the VIP lounge of Berlin Tegel Airport (1975)
• Foster 500 armchairs and sofas by Norman Foster, born from the redesign of the Reichstag in Berlin

Today

Since 1993 the company has been owned by the Benz family and run by Markus Benz. It produces in Herrenberg and Mötzingen, opened showrooms in London (2009) and a Brand Space in Düsseldorf (2018), celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2015, and in 2022 exhibited for the first time during Milan Design Week.