Week #2
Lounge Chair, “Barcelona Chair”
Designer: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Year: 1929
Description: stainless steel frame with pigskin leather upholstery
Estimated cost: $600- $9000 (yes, you can still buy them!)
Why I picked this chair: First, it’s a design icon and has architectural and historical importance. Second, it looks really cool and both the original chair and its signature reproductions (produced to Mies’ orignal specifications by Knoll) appear very comfortable from the seatback angle right down to the supple leather upholstery. Thirdly, I like that the color that it is typically shown in is black. To me, black leather chairs=style.
And finally, I just like to say the name “Mies van der Rohe.” It’s just icing that he designed chairs.
“The chair is a very difficult object. Everyone who has ever tried to make one knows that. There are endless possibilities and many problems - the chair has to be light, it has to be strong, it has to be comfortable. It is almost easier to build a sky scraper than a chair.” - Mies 1930
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