Living Room Furniture
Elevate your home’s most communal space with living room furniture from Knoll. With a focus on mid-century modern, Bauhaus, and contemporary elements, our collection brings sophistication and functionality to your living space.
Types of Living Room Furniture & Decor
Curating the most inviting and comfortable living room involves selecting pieces that reflect your style and meet your functional needs. Here are essential categories to consider:
Lounge Chairs: A cornerstone of living room furniture and a great representative of mid-century modern furniture as an art form, the modern lounge chair offers both comfort and statement-making style. Florence Knoll's Lounge Chair, with its clean lines and minimalist design, epitomizes understated elegance. Eero Saarinen's Womb Chair packages supreme comfort in a visually stunning organic silhouette. Marcel Breuer's Wassily Chair, with leather straps traversing its tubular steel frame, showcases the Bauhaus movement’s innovative use of materials and geometry. Shop authentic modern lounge icons at Knoll.
The centerpiece of any living room, a sofa or sectional provides ample seating and defines the living space. Florence Knoll's iconic Sofa is a classic example of modernist design, featuring a spare, hard-lined silhouette and luxurious upholstery. Sectional sofas offer more versatile seating arrangements ideal for large households.
Functional coffee tables and side tables are essential for centering your living room set and enhancing the utility of your living space. They also make attractive accents, like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Table, whose buffed chrome legs and polished glass top contrast perfectly with plush upholstery. Side tables, such as Jens Risom’s Side Table, and Breuer’s versatile nesting Laccio Tables, offer versatile tabletop space great for practical or decorative use.
Simple and multipurpose, modern benches and ottomans add additional seating and serve as decorative accents. The Barcelona Bench by Mies van der Rohe, with its sleek leather upholstery and polished chrome frame, makes a timeless addition to any living room. Ottomans, like those designed by Florence Knoll, can provide additional seating and double as footrests or coffee tables.
Storage solutions that are both functional and visually appealing, cabinets and credenzas help keep your living room organized. These pieces provide ample storage for books, games, and other entertainment media, ensuring your living room remains clutter-free. Florence Knoll's Credenza, with its rich wood finish, minimalist design, and generous storage capacity exemplifies the mid-century modern marriage of form and function.
Throw pillows and other living room decor pieces are finishing touches that bring warmth and personality to your living area. Some accents are multipurpose, including decorative pillows and throws and organization accessories, while others, like wall art and living room sculptures, are strictly for aesthetics. Choose textiles and accessories that reflect your personal style and complement your modern furniture.
Modern Living Room Furniture Designers at Knoll
Knoll’s living room furniture assortment includes authentic pieces from some of the most influential designers of the 20th century, each contributing to the rich tapestry of modern design history.
Florence Knoll: A pioneer of mid-century modern design, Florence Knoll developed living room furniture pieces that are still celebrated for their clean lines and understated elegance. Her Lounge Chair and Sofa are quintessential representatives of her design philosophy, seamlessly blending form and function.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: A master of modern architecture and furniture design, Mies van der Rohe translated his talents into living room furniture pieces such as his renowned Barcelona Collection, including the iconic Barcelona Chair and Bench. His impeccable craftsmanship and use of premium materials, like leather and chrome, have made his pieces standout, timeless additions to any living space.
Eero Saarinen: Eero Saarinen was an architect and furniture designer whose organic shapes and innovative designs carved out his prominent place in modern design history. His Womb Chair's plush cushioning and sculptural, almost not-of-this-earth form make it a standout piece in contemporary and mid-century modern living rooms.
Marcel Breuer: Perhaps the most key figure in the Bauhaus movement, Marcel Breuer contributed to the world numerous iconic living room furniture designs in the mid-century, including his famous Wassily Chair, renowned for its use of tubular steel. This chair’s unique, industrial-modern construction and aesthetic make it a striking addition to any living room.
Jens Risom: Danish designer Jens Risom was one of the first to bring Scandinavian design to the United States in the mid-century, and that fact is clear in his furniture designs. Risom’s furniture is simple, grounded, and efficient, honoring its materials and construction. His side tables and lounge chairs, with their spare lines and natural materials, bring warmth and sophistication to modern living spaces.
Tips for Choosing Living Room Furniture
Selecting the perfect living room furniture involves considering your space, style, and how you plan to use it. Here are some tips to help you make the best choices:
1. Make a PlanMeasure your living room, consider how many people frequent the area, and find the right fabric for your lifestyle. A rug will pull together your design and anchor a seating area.
2. Settle InDo you prefer a lounge chair where you can enjoy some alone time—or a welcoming space to host guests for hours of conversation? Whether it’s a single seat or multiple lounge chairs, understanding your priorities and needs for the space is key.
3. Think MultifunctionBenches and ottomans are great modular pieces – available to use for extra seating but also can transform into a coffee table with a tray to hold drinks and decor.
4. Measure UpKeep everything within arm's reach. Choose coffee tables that are the same height as your sofa seat, and side tables the same height or lower than your chair or sofa arm.
5. Add Color and ComfortPillows are an easy way to introduce color and pattern to tie everything together. Match colors from artwork in your space or compliment colorful furniture with neutral pillows.
