What inspired the Barcelona chair?

The Barcelona chair and accompanying ottoman were considered a modern throne It is believed that the basic scissor shape of the frame was inspired by the design of Curule chairs, a folding seat with curved legs and no backrest that dates back to ancient Rome and was intended for high-ranking government officials. This chair was originally made with the assistance of modernist designer Lilly Reich. It was a contribution to the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain.

It was produced in very limited quantities in the 1930s and 40s. The design was later modified by Mies to make it slightly slimmer. In 1953, Knoll Associates took over production after its original patents had expired. The residency was the first to use Bauhaus concepts and to introduce the Barcelona Chair to America.

Mies found the design suitable for King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain, who looked at the chairs at the event but reportedly had no time to sit on them. A light blue velvet sofa combined with white Barcelona leather chairs that mimic the natural color palette of the outdoor area, while a transparent coffee table refers to the windows. Barcelona Designs offers a replica of the Barcelona chair that meets the specifications and design of the original Barcelona Chair. Made by metalworker Jerry Griffith, this iteration of the Barcelona Chair was the first to use stainless steel.

Although Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s instantly recognizable Barcelona Chair now anchors interiors all over the world, it was presented 90 years ago with a very specific purpose. The chairs are almost completely handmade and each has a facsimile of Van der Rohe’s signature, which is stamped into the frame. One year later, the chair appeared in the Bamburg-based company’s product catalog in 1931, signaling the first attempt to mass-produce the chair. The design world attracted attention and the chairs have been in almost continuous commercial production ever since.

The original Barcelona chair consists of 17 strips of leather (other materials such as vinyl may indicate imitators), which are evenly distributed on the back and under the bottom cushion in a ladder-like manner. The cover of the fifth volume of Spy × Family features the character Yuri Briar sitting on a Barcelona chair. This distinctive chair was designed in 1929 by modernist Titan Mies in collaboration with German architect and designer Lilly Reich, a long-time colleague and co-modernist. After a lengthy process, Knoll successfully received federal clothing protection in 2004 for five pieces designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, including the Barcelona Chair and Ottoman. The resulting chair looked deliberately undecorative, yet was highly sophisticated and luxurious.

This style of chair was made in numerous colors, but black leather is undoubtedly the most ubiquitous. The most distinctive feature of a Barcelona chair made by Knoll is the thick, stitched piping on the cushions, which are filled with thick industrial foam.

References:

• Barcelona chair – Wikipedia
• The History of the Barcelona Chair | HGTV