The company took its roots in the second half of the nineteenth century, when Wilhelm Knoll, founder of the dynasty, opened his leather shop in the center of Stuttgart. Soon the activity also expanded to the production of leather sofas and armchairs, becoming the official supplier of the royal court of the Württemberg house. The sons Willy and Walter took over the reins of the business in 1907, but they soon separated.
Walter Knoll furniture achieved the greatest success in the period between the two wars, embodying the spirit of an era: they were also used to furnish the luxurious interiors of the famous zeppelins. It was during this period that Walter’s second son, Hans Knoll, went to America to promote his father’s products, founding his own company. In the second post-war period, production was even closer to the taste of modernism, with products such as Vostra armchair.
Between the ’50s and’ 70s, some of the great classics of the brand were unveiled, gathered today in the “Classic Collection”, which mainly includes chairs, armchairs and small armchairs. The products include the Votteler Chair by Arno Votteler, the Haussmann 310 armchair by Trix and Robert Haussmann, the 375 armchair and the famous FK executive chair by Jørgen Kastholm and Preben Fabricius. In 1985, the company bought Wilhelm Knoll, thus renewing the threads of a long history.
In 1993 Walter Knoll was bought by the Benz family, former founder of the famous sofa brand Rolf Benz, and the lead was taken by Markus Benz, which led to a definitive relaunch. Now under his guidance, the company now offers a rich offer, from beds to sofas, with the famous model Jaan of the EOOS studio, from tables to chairs and stools, through a wide range of accessories as well as a fine selection of refined carpets by the designer Helmut Scheufele.