Knoll Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe - Barcelona® Lounge Chair

The Barcelona Chair was designed for comfort with a disciplined approach to simplicity, minimalism, and refined proportions. German Designer Mies van der Rohe is known for his belief that "less is more." This chair is an icon of the modern design movement.

Hand-welded, hand-tufted, hand-polished, and hand-cut with 40 panels for each cushion, the Barcelona Chair is supported on each side by two chrome-plated, flat steel bars. It is recognized as one of the most comfortable options available. Van der Rohe originally designed the Barcelona Chair as a modern throne as part of the German Expo Pavilion in 1929.

MEASUREMENTS:

• Height: 76.7 cm / 30.2 inch


• Width: 74.9 cm / 29.5 inch


• Depth: 76.2 cm / 30 inch


• Seat Height: 43.1 cm / 17 inch

MATERIALS:

• Frame is polished chrome hand-ground and hand-buffed to a mirror finish. Upholstery straps attached with aluminum rivets


• Upholstery straps are cowhide belting leather. Sides are dyed to match specified upholstery colour. 17 straps are used for cushion support

HELPFUL NOTES:

• Please contact us for optional glides that fit on the Barcelona Chair in chrome finish


• Upholstered with 40 individual panels cut, hand-welted, and hand-tufted with leather buttons


• Cushions are premium quality, highly resilient urethane foam with down-like dacron polyester fiberfill


• Stainless Steel: Completely rust-proof, highly durable, and resistant to bending stress, light scratching blends with time


• Polished Chrome: Several-step plating process that includes a heavy layer of nickel for added rust protection and a bright mirror finish


• The KnollStudio logo and signature of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe are stamped into the leg


• Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified®

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Germany, 1886 - 1969

Mies van der Rohe began his career in architecture in Berlin, working as an architect first in the studio of Bruno Paul and then, like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, for Peter Behrens. In 1928, Mies and his companion and colleague, the designer and Bauhaus alumna Lilly Reich, were asked to design the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. The purpose of the Pavilion was to provide a location that could be visited by the king and queen of Spain during the opening of the Exposition. With that in mind, Mies designed a modern throne – known today as the Barcelona Chair – for their majesties. In the following year, Mies designed another notable chair, the Brno, with a gravity-defying cantilevered base.

In 1930, Mies succeeded Walter Gropius as the director of the Bauhaus, where he stayed until the school closed in 1933. In 1937, Mies emigrated to the United States, and a year later became the director of architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The rest of his career was devoted to promoting the modernist style of architecture in the U.S., resulting in rigorously modern buildings such as the Farnsworth House and the Seagram Building, designed with Philip Johnson.

The modern city, with its towers of glass and steel, can be at least in part attributed to the influence of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Equally significant, if smaller in scale, is Mies’ daring furniture designs, pieces that exhibit an unerring sense of proportion, as well as minimalist forms and exquisitely refined details.

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