Barcelona chair, one of the most famous chairs of the 20th century. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the German Pavilion, which he also designed, at the Barcelona International Exhibition in 1929. The iconic status of the Barcelona chair is so great that it has its own page in Barcelona’s yellow pages. Not only that, it is also one of the oldest modern classics that still exist. It was designed in 1929 by German designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the Spanish royal family.
While many of his ideas remained undeveloped, he was asked in 1929 to design the German Pavilion for the exhibition in Barcelona. Only two chairs were made for the pavilion, and while the Barcelona pavilion itself was dismantled (a replica was revived in 198 shortly after the exhibition), the Barcelona Chair is still in production. The most direct precedent for the Barcelona Chair history was the cast iron garden chair by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. In 1950, Mies redesigned his old Barcelona chair using modern techniques, which made it possible to form the frame from a single piece of stainless steel instead of being bolted together.
In 1928, sketches for the Barcelona Chair appeared for the first time, along with other seating solutions that Mies was experimenting with at the time. While the leather pillowcases are built to last and last, some chairs are almost 60 or 70 years old and understandably require a little refresher on the upholstery. 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. In 1930, Philip Johnson, who met Mies
in 1928 while working at the Barcelona pavilion, granted Mies his first U. As part of his design (of which today a Replica is on the premises), he made two chairs for King Alfonso XIII and his wife Ena in case they needed a break during the visit. As organizational elements, the chairs and associated stools were positioned throughout the pavilion as fixed parts that Mies had intended for her stay. One of his design intentions was to reconcile old and new within the design of the chair, and his success in achieving this is proven over 90 years later in the successful combination of classic elements in the lines of the legs, the tufting of the upholstery and the modern sensibility of the armless. The shape and industrial materiality of the frame,” says Louise Lythe, Associate Director, David Collins Studio. According to the yellow pages mentioned above, Mies was inspired by an Egyptian folding chair and a Roman folding stool.
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. Classic Mies van der Rhoe Barcelona chairs in white leather contrast with modern French linen velvet loveseats and hand-painted linen curtains that frame Natural Conrad shades. As 20th century design specialist Michael Jefferson put it, I’m not sure if there is a more unique expression of Mies’ aesthetics and rigor than the Barcelona Chair. The chairs are almost completely handmade and each has a facsimile of Van der Rohe’s signature, which is stamped into the frame.
