Inspiration RelovedChairs InspirationUpholstery InspirationMoregeous DesignDesign ClientKnoll 714714 ArmchairArmchair UpdateUpholstered ParkerForwardThe stages of upholstery - upcycling and re-upholstering a Parker Knoll wingback chair using Designers Guild Portier Willow silk and Graphite Castellani, with Annie Sloan Chalk paint in Graphite and Emile. Sian Astley, Moregeous DesignRetro Chairs MakeoverLounge MakeoverParker ChairsParker Knoll ChairArmchair InspoArmchair IdeasUpcycle ChairsChair RevampProject HbForwardHere we have a wonderful Parker Knoll design classic dating from around the 1970s. Ive stripped back the finishes to reveal the natural beauty of theBy using this site you agree to the use of cookies. Parker Knoll is a British furniture manufacturing company, originally formed by Frederick Parker, a British furniture manufacturer, and Willi Knoll, a German inventor of a new form of sprung furniture. With roots in the manufacture of high-quality furniture, the brand concentrated on mass-market products from the 1930s to the 1990s.
The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1950, but taken private in 2004. After financial problems, it was acquired out of administration by Sofa Brands International. In recent years, the brand has moved back to the higher-quality end of the domestic furniture market. Frederick Parker was born in Shoreditch in 1845. He started in business as a chair maker in 1869, after an apprenticeship at his father's furniture factory. He decided to concentrate on making high quality furniture by hand. After working initially in London, Parker moved to High Wycombe - a historic centre of the furniture trade in England - in 1898. Part of the business was to make furniture for ocean liners, including the Palladian Lounge of Cunard's RMS Aquitania, and for P&O liner SS Ophir, which was commissioned as a Royal Yacht, HMS Ophir, in 1901 to carry the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (the future King George V, and Queen Mary) to Australia. Parker also made furniture for Viceroy's House in New Delhi, and a carved throne for Emperor Haile Selassie.
The business was incorporated as a limited company, Frederick Parker and Sons Ltd, in 1904. Frederick's son, Tom Parker, later took over the business. Willi Knoll was born in Germany and served as a fighter pilot the First World War. His experience of uncomfortable seating in his fighter plane was the inspiration for his invention of a new form of sprung furniture, with coiled steel wire strung across the seat and back, which he manufactured in Stuttgart. Knoll came to Britain in 1929 to find a manufacturer for his chairs using his patent. After Frederick Parker's son, Tom, saw a sample of Knoll's chairs at Heal & Son, the two business quickly formed a new company, Parker Knoll, which was launched at the British Industries Fair in February 1931. The new venture was quickly successful, with advertisements in The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph selling low-price tension-sprung furniture in a variety of basic designs. They also provided furniture for the BBC's Broadcasting House in Portland Place, and Cunard's RMS Queen Mary.
Increasing demand led to the construction of a new factory in High Wycombe to a design commissioned from Wallis, Gilbert & Partners in 1935; it was destroyed in a fire in 1970. During the Second World War, the company manufactured A-frames, wooden boxes, and wings for the de Havilland Mosquito, and also repaired gliders, returning to furniture manufacturing after the war. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1950. The company's reclining chairs became a signature item during the 1960s. The company opened new factory in Chipping Norton in the 1960s, which closed in 2003. Other factories in Andover and Bridgend were also closed in 2003. The parent company became Cornwell Parker plc in 1988, and acquired many other furniture manufacturers. The group was acquired by Silentnight Holdings Plc in 2000,[3] and taken private by a company controlled by the Clarke family (the founders of Silentnight) in 2004. It was bought from Silentnight by Christie-Tyler in March 2005, but Christie-Tyler collapsed into administration within months due to unpaid debts resulting from the financial problems of Courts in November 2004 and Allders in January 2005.
It was acquired out of the administration of Christie-Tyler in July 2005 by Sofa Brands International, established by Christie-Tyler's former chief executive Scott Malvenan.[4] Sofa Brands International also acquired other brands, such as G Plan, Derwent Upholstery, Duresta Upholstery and Leabrooks Upholstery. The company is now based in Riddings in Derbyshire. In recent years, the company has returned to its roots at the high-quality end of the furniture market. The current collection is made up of the Classic & Lifestyle sofa ranges. All are designed and manufactured in Derbyshire. When Parker Knoll decided to sell its archive in 1997, a charity - the Frederick Parker Foundation - was established to acquire 170 chairs, 150 carvings and the Frederick Parker Company archive, to maintain as an archive of furniture design and manufacture. The collection is on long term loan to a dedicated gallery at the London Metropolitan University's resource centre, Metropolitan Works. Compact and refined with neatly tailored slender arms, Lincoln combines contemporary styling with classic comfort.
Design your Parker Knoll This exclusively developed software will allow you to visualise your chosen fabrics on your Parker Knoll Sofa or Chair, helping you to create your suite of distinction. “Elegance is the beauty that never fades or goes out of style” “Great lines create beautiful furniture that will never go out of style” Hand made in Britain, The Classic and LifeStyle collections are designed with you in mind. From Recliners and Motion sofas to Luxury Classic designs and Traditional chairs you will no doubt find the perfect look to complement your home. With the help of our latest fabric collection incorporating everything from classic designs and plains to soft chenille’s, heavy damasks and leathers sourced from the best tanneries all over the world, Parker Knoll has ensured that you are spoilt for choice.View all images from the Frederick Parker Chair Collection The Frederick Parker Collection is a unique and outstanding educational resource spanning over 300 years of British furniture making and design, from 1660 to the present day.
The Collection comprises over 190 chairs, together with an archive of related historical documents and artefacts. The Collection was established by Frederick Parker (1845-1927) who together with four of his sons, had set up a furniture and upholstery business in 1871. Following the introduction of the recently invented tension spring suspension system in 1931, the Parker family business was renamed and rebranded as Parker Knoll in 1931. The Parker Knoll Company continues to the present day as one of the leading British manufacturers of furniture, and the company is a key supporter of the Frederick Parker Collection. The Collection was established and developed by Frederick Parker to enable his craftsmen to reproduce and learn from styles from earlier historical periods. For example, in the early years of the 20th century, styles from the 17th and 18th centuries were in vogue and chairs from this period form a large proportion of the Collection. The Collection was used as a working tool, and many of the chairs within the Collection are in "original" condition, having had alterations or additions - a few are even deliberate fakes.
All of this gives those using the Collection today an invaluable opportunity for study and research into every aspect of the development of chair making in Britain since 1660. The Collection became part of The Furniture Makers' Company in 2013, with Past Master Cliff Rust as Chairman. The Curator of the Collection is Dr John Cross of the Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University. The Collection is internationally recognised as an important educational resource, and the Frederick Parker Collection Committee seek to promote and encourage the study of furniture, furniture history and the design and development of the British chair, through building, maintaining and promoting the Collection. The Frederick Parker Collection is a "living" collection and continues to evolve, with the regular purchase of new chairs to illustrate the most current developments in design and manufacture. The Collection and Archive have been on long-term loan to London Metropolitan University since 2002.