Knoll studied architecture in Stuttgart before working for furniture companies in Germany and Switzerland. In 1937, he was invited to teach at the New Bauhaus School in Chicago, where he met Florence Schust, an architecture student who would become his wife and collaborator.
Together, they founded the Knoll furniture company in 1938, with a mission to create modern, functional furniture for homes and professional spaces. Knoll designed many pieces of furniture for the company, including the Barcelona armchair and the Brno chair.
After Knoll's death in 1955, Florence Knoll continued to manage the company and worked with many other designers to create iconic pieces of modern design. Today, Knoll is one of the world's leading interior design companies.