As a rising figure of the modernist movement, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was selected to design the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. Through masterful proportioning and planning, Mies created a rhythmic and entirely unprecedented space, which elevated industrial-age materials to a level of grace never before achieved. Inside, Mies included chairs and stools conceived as a resting place for the King and Queen of Spain. Determined to create a chair worthy of royalty, Mies is thought to have based the designs, with their signature crisscross frames, on the campaign chairs of Ancient Rome. Mies: “I feel that it must be possible to harmonize the old and new in our civilization.” Although the Barcelona Pavilion only stood for seven months, it is recognized as a defining achievement of modern architecture, as are the accompanying Barcelona Chairs (although the King and Queen reportedly never sat in them). Mies, a close friend and mentor to Florence Knoll during her time at the Illinois Institute of Technology, formally granted Knoll the production rights to the Barcelona Chair and Stool in 1953.
The designs immediately became a signature of the Knoll brand and have been built to Mies van der Rohe’s exacting standards ever since.Iconic Interiors : Inspiration for your space Order Online, or Call Free On (8am – 8pm Mon – Sat, 10am – 8pm Sun) Why Shop With Us? Interior Designer - Cheshire 7 reasons not to buy the cheapest Barcelona chair Posted on 25th November 2008 by Mark We love the Barcelona chair. The design is almost 100 years old and it looks as good today as it always has done. A chair truly fit for a King and Queen. To learn more of the chair's history click Barcelona chair history. We take our furniture very, very seriously. Selling beautifully crafted furniture is the main reason we setup Iconic Interiors. This is more than a business to us. As stated on the home page of this site, "Our promise to you is very simple, if you do not love our furniture as much as we do we’ll take it back and refund you in full." This brings me to the point of this article.
We understand what makes a good Barcelona chair. A chair which will last a generation. So, without further a do I present you with our 7 Reasons Not To Buy A Cheap Barcelona Chair:. Reason one is the cost Think about this for a moment. How can the retailer possibly sell a quality Barcelona chair for three to four hundred pounds? To sell the chair for this cost simply means many corners have been cut in the chair's manufacture. Savings have been made on low quality leather, leather not being used on all sides of the cushion, hollow steel frame, using low grade steel less than the recommended 12mm thickness, cheap foam which makes the chair uncomfortable, cushion buttons which come away after a few weeks and so on. I think you get the point ;-) For reason two you'll find the comfort is compromised This is a real shame because some people will be put off the Barcelona chair altogether if they sit on one of the cheaper models. They find the cushioning to be very stiff. As with all things foam comes in many different varieties.
Low cost foam is very stiff and affords little give. The difference in comfort from a low end Barcelona chair and ours is staggering. Your bum sinks into our soft cushions giving a very comfortable experience. Reason three is longevity How long do you expect your Barcelona chair to last? We have asked many of our customers this same question. In most cases they expected the chair to last beyond 10 years. We agree, a good Barcelona chair should last 10 years and much longer. Something to ponder, how long would you expect a £300 chair to last? The answer is certainly not 10 years. From our experience these low end chairs begin to lose their looks within 6 months. This is the quality tipping point. Low end furniture ages badly whereas well built furniture ages gracefully. A good piece of furniture gains character. Reason four is the type of leather and the amount of leather used for the two Barcelona chair cushions You've guessed it, on the cheaper chairs the leather is low quality.
This can be a major cost saving. We however cover our cushions in luxurious full aniline leather. Many manufacturers, in an attempt to save on costs, will either use fabric or PU (imitation leather made from plastic) on the underside and backs of the cushions. The fifth reason is that our Barcelona chair is the choice of Architects and Interior Designers This reason speaks for itself. We cannot think of a better recommendation for our furniture. These professionals understand quality and what is required in its manufacture to withstand the rigours of a commercial environment. Happy customers is reason number six A retailer which sells cheap Barcelona chairs will not have happy customers. Customers who wish to possess a Barcelona chair generally err on the discerning side. They do not put up with a low quality version of the chair. We often speak with customers who have had bad experiences with other retailers. Generally they understand that if a chair is rediculously cheap there has to be a good reason.
As with most things, you get what you pay for. We collect testimonials on this site and also on our sister site found at www.thebarcelonachair.co.uk Happy reading. Finally numero reason seven is the Iconic Interiors promise Our promise to you is that if you're not 110% satisfied with our beautiful barcelona chairs then we'll refund you in full - and we mean in full. We'll arrange to have the furniture picked up at no cost to you whatsoever. We provide this promise because we are so confident with our Barcelona chair and our furniture as a whole that we know you'll be overjoyed with your choice. Further information regarding our Barcelona range can be found at our sister site The Barcelona Chair You will find our Barcelona chair along with a selection of beautifully crafted designer leather chairs in our online furniture store. Buying a Barcelona chair is a minefield for customers Our Barcelona chair as good as the original - it’s official! Vintage Brown Barcelona chair