Review and Comparison Guide: Modern Classic's Florence Knoll Lounge Chair
Inspired by: Florence Knoll Lounge Chair
Click an image to enlarge.
- Offered in Polyester Boucle Fabrics or Leather
- Fabrics: 16 Colors; Leathers: 18 Colors
- Stainless Steel legs Frame
- Dimensions match original model
- Exclusive: Powdercoating in 8 colors are available (for an extra charge)
- Specify your own Fabrics or Leathers
| Our Item No. | MC-7201 |
| Base Price | $ 1,720 |
| Overall Dimensions: | 32.5w x 32.5d x 31.3h |
| Seat Height: | 18 inches |
| Seat Dimensions: | 27w x 23.5d |
| Weight: | 77 pounds |
We wrote this review and comparison guide to help you figure out who makes the best Florence Knoll Lounge Chair. We have only highlighted 4 sellers of these iconic chairs, the primary contenders if you will, and we hope support our belief that our version of this chair has the best value proposition on the market.
Side-By-Side Comparison: Modern Classics vs. the Competition
| Feature | Modern Classics | Design Within Reach | Rove Concepts | Interior Icons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Price (Fabrics) | $ 1,720 | $ 4,831 | $ 545 | $ 699 |
| Upholstery Materials | ||||
| Chair Dimensions | ||||
| Chair Construction | ||||
| Cushion Construction | ||||
| Custom Options |
Detailed Comparison: Modern Classics vs. Others
Modern Classics Brand
BASE PRICE:
$ 1,820 (Leather or Boucle).
UPHOLSTERY MATERIALS:
We offer 20 colors of Italian leathers, 16 colors of textured boucle 100% polyester fabric made in US, which is is considered a high performance fabric with 250k double-rubs, highly resistant to piling or fading, plus it has a stainguard built into the material. Using state of the art dying techniques, each dye lot is virtually the same and color matching is never an issue. There is also the option of providing your own fabric or leather for a minor custom upcharge.
CHAIR DIMENSIONS:
Our frame dimensions are a very close match to the designer's original intent of the model. Our chair has the excellent sitting position, with the armrests the proper distance from the seat cushion, for comfort.
CHAIR CONSTRUCTION:
Our chair is made with hardwood and strong construction techniques. The back panel is made separate, and then attached internally, a design feature only found in the premium brands.
CUSHION CONSTRUCTION:
Our cushions are made with high-resilent high-density foam that has a medium firmness. Our tufting is acheived through the sewing of individual squares and fiber-fill. You can have a choices of buttons or no buttons, either way, the tufting look is maintained.
CUSTOM OPTIONS:
We offer the extreme flexibility on this model for customizing. First, there is the upholstery material. You can provide your own fabric or leather. We can powder coat the legs using one of our standard colors, or your own selection.
Design Within Reach
BASE PRICE:
$4,831 for fabric; $6,756 for leather
UPHOLSTERY MATERIALS:
Offered in a wide range of fabric colors and fabric grades, however, their signature Classic Boucle is a low performance wool/nylon blend not known for its long life. DWR also offers the chair in leather, in a wide variety of colors.
CHAIR DIMENSIONS:
The DWR brand chair dimensions seem to be the same throughout the lifetime of their manufacturing. However, they just introduced a deeper seat version, 32 inches as compared to the standard version of 23 inches.
CHAIR CONSTRUCTION:
DWR offers the Knoll brand of Florence Knoll Lounge chair. It has a solid wood inner frame and no-sag seat suspension, like the Modern Classics brand. Their leg and frame is chrome plated steel.
CUSHION CONSTRUCTION:
DWR is finally offering the Florence knoll cushions in a softer foam material, as compared to the standard one, which is hard a rock. They only offer buttons on the leather version.
CUSTOM OPTIONS:
For a significant upcharge, Knoll will make a chair using your fabric or leather. They do not offer a custom finish option for their metal frame.
Rove Concepts
BASE PRICE:
$ 545
UPHOLSTERY MATERIALS:
Offered in a very cheap fabric, a wool blend, that has no life span or stain protection. Will rapidly pil up. Unstable dye lots, so rarely can you get a complete set of chairs that look the same. Also offered in leather.
CHAIR DIMENSIONS:
Frame dimensions are a very different than the Signature version, in that, the chair sits with more angled back and the chair is not as wide or as deep. This one is truly made wrong. Look closely at how the back cushion sits in the chair. It has more cushion above the chair frame than below it, so you can see how that will bend over when you sit in it? Shockingly bad!
CHAIR CONSTRUCTION:
Rove probably uses solid wood construction on their offering, but the angle and final results are quite different than ours and the Knoll version.
CUSHION CONSTRUCTION:
Rove most likely uses inexpensive foam that is not layered with multi-density. Who's to say at this price point.
CUSTOM OPTIONS:
Rove does not offer custom modiifcations for their offering, in fabric, or steel frame colors or anything.
Interior Icons
BASE PRICE:
$ 699
UPHOLSTERY MATERIALS:
Offered in a very cheap fabric, a wool blend, that has no life span or stain protection. Will rapidly pil up. Unstable dye lots, so rarely can you get a complete set of chairs that look the same.
CHAIR DIMENSIONS:
Frame dimensions are a very different than the Signature version, in that, the chair sits with more angled back and the chair is not as wide or as deep. This one is truly made wrong. Look closely at how the back cushion sits in the chair. It has more cushion above the chair frame than below it, so you can see how that will bend over when you sit in it? Just like the Rove version, shockingly bad!
CHAIR CONSTRUCTION:
Interior Icons probably uses solid wood construction on their offering, but the angle and final results are quite different than ours and the Knoll version.
CUSHION CONSTRUCTION:
Interior Icons most likely uses inexpensive foam that is not layered with multi-density. Who's to say at this price point.
CUSTOM OPTIONS:
Interior Icons does not offer custom modifications for their offering, in fabric, steel frame finishing or anything.
Product Description
Our Florence Knoll style Lounge Chair was inspired from the Lounge Collection created by US designer Florence Knoll (1917-2019) to have a spare, angular profile that reflects the objective perfectionism of modern design. As a pioneer of the Knoll Planning Unit, Florence Knoll modestly called these pieces the fill-in pieces that no one else wants to do. We absolutely love this design for it's clean lines and comfort.
Our chair is handmade using modern furniture construction techniques for superb seat comfort and durability. The cushion surfaces on this model consist of individual panels which are sewn together with a straight stitch seam between the tufting points. Buttons are standard, however, you can request no buttons. All models have the welting (piping) around the perimeter edges of the cushion and frame. Exposed legs and frame are made of 14 gauge 1 inch square stainless steel tubing polished to a mirror-like finish and have adjustable feet glides. Our construction techniques provide a solid chair perfect for commercial and residential applications. Features include:
- Traditional Interior hardwood box frames and mitered frame corners
- Legs and frame made of 14 gauge 1 inch square polished stainless steel tube
- High Resilient Multi-Density Foam
- Tufted seat and back cushions with choice of buttons or no buttons
- Choice of leather and fabric colors
LEATHER CHOICES
Modern Classics Furniture offers two levels of Top-Grain Italian Leathers. Each of the these groupings feature:
- Top-grain Italian leather from Grade A hides
- Semi aniline-dyed (standard) and 100% aniline-dyed (premium)
- Made in Italy and imported to our factory
- Have a UV and Moisture Guard built into the dye
- Are not split hides or bonded leather
We are happy to mail you a physical piece of leather so you can hold it in your hands.
Below are the leather colors we offer for this Collection. Our Standard Leathers (denoted with the prefix L1) are top-grain, aniline-dyed, and then color corrected with a slight embossing to create a more uniform grain pattern. Our Premium leathers (denoted with the prefix L2) are also top-grain, aniline-dyed but have a soft feel to them and much of the hides natural grain patterns are retained. All our leathers are considered equally durable and are ideal for home or commercial use. To read more about leather, read our A Guide to Understanding Upholstery Leather: A Primer.
Click on any of these images for an enlarged view.
Standard Leathers (Top Grain - Textured)
Boucle Fabric Choices
We offer our own exclusive collection "boucle" textured fabric in an extensive collection of colors that are particularly suited for the mid-century modern furniture we make. This fabric and colors were custom made just for us, at a well-known North America mill. Made of 100% polyester, our boucle's are soft, durable (250K double rubs), stain and UV resistant. We have arranged these swatches in color groups below.
We are happy to mail you a physical piece of fabric so you can hold it in your hands. Click on any of these swatches to see an enlarged view.
| Fabric Name: | Modern Boucle Fabric |
| Content: | 100% Post-Consumer recycled Polyester |
| Weight: | 22 oz/linear yard |
| Finish: | Greenshield™ (High Performance, Eco-friendly stain guard that beads liquids and easy to clean) |
| Abrasion Resistance: | 250,000 Double Rubs(ASTM D4157-13) |
| Crocking: | Wet: Class 5.0, Dry: Class 4.5 (AATCC 8) |
| Light Fastness: | Class 4.0 - 5.0 @ 40 hours (AATCC 16 3511) |
| Pilling Resistance: | Class 5.0 (ASTM D 3511) |
| Seam Slippage: | Warp: 79.5 lbs Fill: 133.0 lbs (ASTM D 4034) |
| Tensile Strength: | Warp: 177.0 lbs Fill: 234.0 lbs (ASTM D 5034) |
Boucle Fabric in 16 Colors:
Other Metal Frame Color Choices
Besides the standard #304 Polished Stainless Steel frames shown above, we do our own in-house powdercoating over the stainless steel frame. We offer 8 standard colors and there is a $100 extra charge for the custom frame finishing.
Click on any of these swatches to see an enlarged view.
VIEW OUR OTHER PRODUCTS INSPIRED BY THIS DESIGNER
About Modern Classics Furniture
Here at Modern Classics Furniture, we focus tightly on manufacturing and selling furniture in the niche market known as Iconic Modern Classics Furniture. Here's why we are your top choice for Modern Classic Furniture:
- We make and sell only our own products -- we do not sell other manufacturer's product, nor will you find our products elsewhere on the Internet.
- We offer a 3 year warranty
- We only make quality furniture using the best materials
- We offer wholesale and design trade prices - let us be your #1 source - sign up today!
Corporate Headquarters
3999 Hammer Drive
Bellingham, WA 98226
Curt Roth, President
360-733-6400
curt@modernclassics.com
Please call us if you have any questions at our company headquarters in Bellingham Washington. Call or Email, or you can use this contact us form, we will receive a text message.