The Barcelona chair, which is actually considered to be a more modern classic and one of the most elegant chairs of the twentieth century, was actually designed by Mies van der Rohe.
In fact, he was the one to design this marvelous chair at the International Exposition in Barcelona in 1929. Mies van der Rohe drew his inspiration for his design from an Egyptian folding chair and from a Roman folding stool. The chair was created to replicate a throne and made its very first appearance during the inaugural ceremony by the Spanish royal family at the exposition.
The chair exudes grandeur and class while at the same time it is light and strong. The Barcelona chair is considered by common consensus to be the very pinnacle of a harmonized approach to materials, design, and workmanship. In 1950, the original design of this amazing chair was improved upon by Mies, which resulted in a fully welded object in which additional braces at the welding points were eliminated. The one piece frame made of stainless steel actually offered much more higher strength and spring.
In the United States, this design was popularized by George Nelson. The chair was originally hand made, but was subsequently mass produced and marketed by the company known as Knoll Associates, which now manufactures it in the United States and in twenty nine other countries. You can find these marvelous chairs at either your local furniture store of see pictures on-line at a variety of home decor forums.
Two connected pairs of crossed steel bars constitute the framework of the chair. On this marvelous chair the front legs and the back legs of the chair are curved, while the back legs cross the front legs to form a double curve that supports the seat. The chair has foam rubber cushions, which are covered with buttoned leather and are placed on the seat and the back by means of saddle leather straps.
The Barcelona chair is sold by a large variety of furniture stores. Several of these furniture stores have on-line catalogs, which a prospective buyer can browse through easily. Although, there are several renditions of the Barcelona chair that are available in the market, they are usually made from chromed stainless steel with the single piece frame that has been hand buffed till a mirror finish is achieved.
The upholstery consists of individual leather panels, which are actually forty in number that are often times hand welted and hand tufted. In order to maintain the uniformity of appearance and texture, the leather panels are usually crafted from a single hide, with the most favored colors being either tan or black.
Even though the Barcelona chair has a much more modular look that suggests it has been massed produced, it is the craftsmanship that requires all the virtues that are associated with a hand crafted masterpiece. In fact, the Barcelona chair is a piece of sculpture and tends to find extensive use in many waiting rooms and foyers throughout the world.
