Richard Schultz Settee & Sofa

In 1975, Richard Schultz designed an interior lounge seating collection for Knoll¹ that included the 57-inch No. 1462 Settee and the 85.5-inch No. 1463 Sofa. Schultz designed a one-piece thermoplastic shell that was mounted to oval steel stretchers, which, in turn, were bolted to the 3.0-inch diameter tubular steel base. The high-back upholstered cushions matched the width of the upholstered shell; two were used for the settee and three for the sofa. The steel base could be ordered in a brown fused finished or polished chrome.²

Richard Schultz sitting on his No. 1462 Settee with the No. 1463 Sofa with chrome base, and No. 1462 Settee with dark brown fused finished base. Courtesy Knoll, Inc

The Schultz No. 1462 Settee detail from the 1976 Knoll tabloid. Courtesy Knoll, Inc.

“I envisioned my design,” Schultz explained, “for offices, museums, large lobby areas. The idea originated with my interest in upholstery techniques used for the interior of automobiles. They seemed the best way to achieve intricate and sophisticated upholstery details.”³

The Settee and Sofa remained in production to September 1978 and then discontinued.⁴

1. Brian Lutz, Knoll – A Modernist Universe (New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2010). 297
2. Knoll International Furniture Price List 1977/78 Contract/Residential. 141-142.
3. “Dick Schultz: A Direct Approach.” Knoll tabloid, 1976. 23.
4. “Changes, Deletions, Additions.” Knoll sales memo, 9/12/78.