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The Barcelona chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, photographed at the National Gallery of Victoria
The Barcelona chair, photographed at the National Gallery of Victoria. Photograph: Sailko, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Barcelona Chair

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Knoll

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the Barcelona chair for the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, conceived as seating fit for the King and Queen of Spain. Mies, a friend and mentor to Florence Knoll, granted Knoll the production rights in 1953, and the company has built the chair to his standards ever since.

DesignerLudwig Mies van der Rohe (1929)
MakerKnoll, United States
MaterialsHand-ground, hand-buffed polished chrome frame; 40 leather panels hand-welted and hand-tufted from a single hide
DimensionsH 30 1/4 x W 29 1/2 x D 30 in; seat height 17 in
AuthenticationFrame stamped with the Knoll logo and the designer's signature
AvailabilityIn production; available through Knoll and authorized dealers
View at the maker ← All objects

Editorial link to the maker's official site, opening in a new tab. Not a paid placement.

Why Estate & Design selected it

Few pieces of furniture carry a room the way the Barcelona chair does. The hand-buffed chrome frame and forty hand-welted leather panels, cut from a single hide, make it as much a piece of metalwork and leatherwork as a chair. It is the definitive modernist statement piece for a hall, a study or a loggia.

Estate & Design is not a retailer. Details were verified against the maker or publisher at the time of publication; availability and pricing may change.

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