Manufacture of premium seating and upholstered furniture for living, working and public spaces – in series production and as custom project commissions.
WALTER KNOLL AG & CO. KG
Herrenberg (Headquarter) · Mötzingen (Production) · Düsseldorf · Berlin · Frankfurt · Moscow · London · Salisbury South (AU) · Wallisellen · New York City · Kuala LumpurNew on Amplifa
Furniture manufactory since 1865
Walter Knoll is a German furniture manufacturer based in Herrenberg (Baden-Württemberg) with production in Herrenberg and Mötzingen. The family business, founded in 1865, manufactures seating furniture, upholstered furniture, tables, desks, sideboards and rugs for living, working and public areas. Production encompasses saddlery and leather processing, upholstery work, woodworking with solid wood and precious-wood veneers, as well as the processing of natural stones such as marble, quartz stone and lightweight concrete. In addition to series production, Walter Knoll develops tailored custom commissions for projects – including curved seating landscapes up to 17 meters long for Terminal 3 of Frankfurt Airport. Materials used include leather, fabrics of linen, cotton, silk and pure new wool, wood, metal, lacquer, glass as well as modern surfaces such as Fenix, linoleum and HPL. Customers come from hospitality, aviation, retail, real estate and the contract business; reference projects include the Landesmuseum Württemberg, the Rädlinger corporate headquarters, SieMatic flagship stores and the Retreat Park am See Nattika. Walter Knoll is represented with headquarters and showroom in Herrenberg as well as Brand Spaces in Germany and internationally, and delivers worldwide.
- Site
- Herrenberg
- Processes
- Leather processing / saddlery (saddle leather covers), Upholstery work / seating furniture manufacturing (upholstered furniture), Seating furniture production / furniture manufacturing (woodworking, solid wood and veneer), Processing of natural stone with leather (finish by master craftsmen), Custom-made furniture / special commissions for projects (e.g. seating landscapes), Showroom consulting, Professional project consulting (contract/public buildings), Custom seating landscapes / special commissions
- Materials
- Leather / saddle leather, Linen, Cotton, Silk, Pure new wool, Solid wood, Precious-wood veneers, Marble
- Founded
- 1865
- Industries
- Furniture (living, working, public spaces), Contract/furnishing of public buildings, Hospitality, Aviation/airports, Retail, Real estate
- 01
Design and development with designers
- 02
Material selection (leather, fabric, wood, stone)
- 03
Saddlery / leather processing
- 04
Woodworking
- 05
Upholstery work
- 06
Final assembly
- 07
Project consulting and furnishing (contract)
- 08
Spare parts and care
Materials and processes
Leather / saddle leather
Saddle leather developed in collaboration with selected tanneries for covers with a soft feel and high durability.
Fabrics (linen, cotton, silk, pure new wool)
Natural materials for upholstery covers, complemented by graded-in contract fabrics from, among others, Kvadrat and Maharam.
Solid wood and precious-wood veneers
Durable woods in warm natural tones for table frames, shells and furniture surfaces.
Marble, quartz stone, lightweight concrete
Natural stones that are worked with leather by specialists and receive a soft, smooth surface.
Metal / aluminium
Used in frames and historically in the lightweight aluminium armchairs for Zeppelin fittings.
Lacquer, Fenix, linoleum, HPL, glass
Surface materials in different textures and finishes according to the Natural Elegance color philosophy.
Locations
Herrenberg
DEHeadquarter & Showroom
- Materials
- Leather, fabric, wood, stone, metal
Mötzingen
DEProduction site
- Lot size
- Single-unit production to series production
- Materials
- Leather, fabric, wood
Products and manufacturing areas
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leather processing / saddlery (saddle leather covers)Surface | – | – | – | – | Leather, Saddle leather |
| Upholstery work / seating furniture manufacturing (upholstered furniture)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Leather, Fabric, Linen, Cotton, Silk, Pure new wool |
| Seating furniture production / furniture manufacturing (woodworking, solid wood and veneer)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Solid wood, Precious-wood veneers, Oak, Walnut |
| Processing of natural stone with leather (finish by master craftsmen)Surface | – | – | – | – | Marble, Quartz stone, Lightweight concrete |
| Custom-made furniture / special commissions for projects (e.g. seating landscapes)Engineering | – | up to 17 m (curved | – | – | Aluminium, Steel, Leather, Fabric, Wood |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1865
Wilhelm Knoll founds his 'leather business' in Stuttgart; later 'royal court supplier'
- 1906
Conversion into the Wilhelm Knoll leather seating furniture factory
- 1907
Willy and Walter Knoll take over the company, start of seating furniture production, first club armchair in Germany
- 1925–1929
Foundation of Walter Knoll & Co. GmbH; 'Prodomo' models as the first modern upholstered furniture; fittings for Zeppelins and the DoX; furnishing of the Weissenhof Estate (among others for Mies van der Rohe)
- 1938–1939
Hans Knoll emigrates to the USA and founds his own company in 1939 (Knoll)
- 1949
The Vostra armchair brings Walter Knoll international recognition
- 1962
Expansion and extension of the company premises in Herrenberg
- 1970er
Emergence of the contract business division; fitting out of Berlin-Tegel Airport in 1975
- 1985
Acquisition of Wilhelm Knoll; 'Collection Wilhelm Knoll'
- 1993
Purchase by the Benz family; Markus Benz leads the company
- 2001
Additional production site in Mötzingen