Description

One of the most recognized objects of the last century, and an icon of the modern movement, the Barcelona Chair exudes a simple elegance that epitomizes Mies van der Rohe’s most famous maxim–“less is more.” This matching chair and ottoman were manufactured by Knoll and are a tribute to the marriage of modern design and exceptional craftsmanship.

Modern architect and furniture designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was born in Aachen, Germany in 1886. One of his most significant projects was the German (or Barcelona) Pavilion, built for the German section of the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, which helped establish him on an international stage. Using glass and marble interior walls that could be easily moved, he merged interior and exterior spaces, emphasizing a fluidity of space and incorporating specially designed furniture, including the iconic leather and chrome Barcelona chair.

Upholstered with 40 individual panels, the panels are cut, hand-welted, and hand-tufted with leather buttons produced from a single cowhide. The cushions are premium quality and the 17 upholstery straps that support the cushions are cowhide belting leather. The frame is polished chrome hand-ground and hand-buffed to a mirror finish.

The physics of the chair are also important because if you don’t get it right, the thing can collapse on you. In fact Mies van der Rohe once said that designing a chair was much more difficult than designing a skyscraper. That’s got to be somewhat of an exaggeration, but the important thing is it’s a much more technical subject than we might realise.

Chair : W76 x D77 x H76cm (Seat Height  44cm)

Ottoman : W60 x D57 x H38cm