Browse Author: sjlucena

The Three Purposes of the Barcelona Chair

As many of us know, at the ends of the 19th century, the German government commissioned Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to design the German pavilion at the International Exposition that was being held in Barcelona. Mies Van der Rohe was a well-known German-American architect of the late 19th century. Van der Rohe is accredited as one of the most relevant figures in modernist architecture, with iconic pieces such as theBarcelona Chair and buildings like the Seagram Headquarters.

Van der Rohe created this iconic Barcelona Chair for three purposes:

First, to display it in the German Pavilion at the International Exposition of Barcelona. That was exposition of international fame and it would bring opportunities to van der Rohe to show all his skills, not only as an Architect (he work privately for two more pavilions, but as a designer).

Second, to provide a simple example of his saying “less is more”. The German Pavilion was a perfect portrait of what we call modernism and minimalism. Today is considered one of the pivotal spaces that let van der Rohe show the power of Modernism. The German Pavilion was dismantled in 1930, but it was restored in 1985 by a international group of architects.

Third: To provide a throne to Alfonso XIII and his wife, Kings of Spain, that would be there at the opening. This was a factor that had major influence in the design of the Barcelona Chair, even thought that Alfonso XIII didn’t use the chair.

At that time people adored this chair so much that Mies find ways to produce it in Germany even in the terrible context of the WWII, but a point came when he had to leave Germany and stablish in America, where it was finally taken by Knoll, the legendary house conducted by Florence Knoll.

So why is the Barcelona Chair an icon of the 20th century? The answer is very simple!

Due to its materials, lines and texture.

After the Second World War, new materials emerged (in addition to wood) such as glass, plastic and steel, and a new integration of these materials into design. In this particular case, the innovation was the inclusion of steel under the cushions and support

If you analyze the shapes and lines of the chair you will notice that they are very clean and sophisticated, a representation of modernism.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the opportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Sofa  or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.

The Virtue of Mid Century Modern

The 1940s to the late-1960s was when interior design swept the nation. But at the time interior design defined things like graphic and industrial design and architecture; all going for a specific aesthetic – simplicity in clean lines and sculptural forms.

This was the moment that the phrase “less is more”, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe,  was born. Three magnificent chairs capture the essence of MCM:

Form,  light, and space defined many Mid-Century homes’ architecture. These homes also featured high ceilings and lots of open spaces; it was all about sleek and modern designs. Stone, brick, and wood were the most popular materials at that time.

Some notable Mid-Century Modern architects included people like Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen, John Lautner, Paul Revere Williams, and Joseph Eichler, and of course, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, creator of the Barcelona Chair, but of great skyscrapers, like the Seagrams, building.

When it came to furniture, the new designs boasted sleek and sculptural forms that were all about physical ergonomics. The common thought was that furniture design should focus on and complement the human body, to provide comfort by all means.

Another Mid-Century Modern furniture feature is innovative materials like plywood, fiberglass, Plexiglas, and tubular steel, and fabricating techniques, which helped create unique shapes of many of the furniture pieces inspired in this era. The Barcelona Chair, with its superb join of leather and steel, is a remarkable example.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the opportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Sofa  or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.

The Barcelona Sofa: The Fascination of Leather

Take a look to a trend blog or Interior Design page nowadays and check out the latest sofas. You will see colorful pieces with several shapes, and it has been this ways for several years.

Nevertheless, if you ask a person to describe you a sofa, or an ideal sofa, very probably they will, describe a giant leather sofa, like a Chesterfield or like an LC3 Sofa. And the experience only enhances when they meet the Barcelona Sofa by the Barcelona Collection.

But What is that perennial charm of leather that survices beyond any trend?. Leather has always been preferred by users by many reasons:

  • Elegance. Nothing has a more beautiful view in furniture upholstery than leather. Its shinning, texture and clean cut look has no serious competitor
  • Texture. Leather is comfortable and flexible. Leather tends to be a little rigid when is newly acquired, but it relaxes and adapt to the shape of the body with time.
  • Maintenance. Leather is a very simple surface to clean and maintain. When it comes to spills, is enough with a simple moisturized cloth. That is a clear disadvantage of microfiber.
  • Hygiene. Leather doesn’t suffer from dust mites or allergens, because of its solid structure.  

In spite of the current trends, in favor of much more color and rounded design, classic options, black and white are still in trend, and with it, leather furniture, whether in black or white leather. There is always a niche of selected users that go with the classic option of the Barcelona Collection and the Barcelona Sofa.

The Barcelona Table, Crystal Elegance in your Office

As you may noticed, lately there is a growing trend of using  alternative ítems as center tables: Tables, Ottomans, old trunks, and even solid rocks. All those are great choices actually, and may work well  (or fail miserably) depending of the setting and the particular space we are working on.

What about Offices?

Your office is a particular space, where functionality is requested, but aesthetics and style are important, too, and they say a lot about yourself and what you do aspire.

One classic coffee table or centertable is the Barcelona Table, though labeled just as a Table when it was released in 1929. The Barcelona table is rectangular, with a glass top and a characteristic “X” metal frame. But you will find rounded, oval, and non geometrical, irregular tables that combine the most dissimilar elements, to provide you of a good support when your are seated along with your partners or clients.

Crystal Quality

The Barcelona Table is made with a solid, but elegant frame in chromed stainless steel, crowned by a fine glass top. The glass top is a solid piece of tempered glass 3/4″ thick with a polished 1/8″ beveled edge that is easy to clean, wipe only. The glass is held in place on the frame by 4 clear rubber bumpers that support it. The Barcelona Table has a sober, stylish figure to fit in every space. From formal to relaxed. Its measures are ideal to medium or large spaces and is suitable to place a coffee set, or a group of magazines. 

Go to Barcelona Design and experience the style of Mid Century Modern with the best replicas of the market. 

The Barcelona Chair and your Office

For any Interior Design enthusiast, the Barcelona Chair is one way to bring elegance, beauty and a a very comfortable seat in your living room. And certainly, both the Barcelona Chair and all the items in the Barcelona Collection have been quite popular in the world of home décor, at least for…91 years, since its creation in 1929.

But something that some people don’t realize is how popular the Barcelona Chair and the Barcelona Collection is in the office side. The sober, elegant but clean lines of a Barcelona Chair, in black or white leather are a perfect match for most of the different spaces we have in the coporate side: Private offices, a fancy lobby, a reception, are spaces where a Barcelona Chair Replica will make it great, especially combined with the rest of the collection: The Barcelona Loveseat, the Barcelona Sofa and the Barcelona Table.

And using the Barcelona Designs replicas, you can be sure that you get the most of a great item of design with a quality rendition that brings you the beauty of Mid Century Modern for a fraction of the price of an original one.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the opportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Sofa or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.

The Barcelona Chair Replica by Barcelona Design, the Best Kept Secret

If you are a decor enthusiast, looking to experience the beauty of comfort of a design piece like the Barcelona Chair, the market of replicas is your great alternative.  Just for the fraction of the price, you may enjoy the pleasure of seat and share with your family and guests in a charming, functional and sophisticated space.


But not only a single owner can get the most of a Barcelona Chair Replica. Lenders know very well how can it works to have so significant piece. Let’s share some of these advantages.


Price, of course.


From this essential advantage, many others are elicited, right? Yeap. With a Barcelona Chair Replica, by Barcelona Design, you get, for a more than convenient price, a high-quality item, that will last for many years and will bring elegance, comfort, and beauty to your space, name it a living room,  family room, or lounge room. Your first benefit is a monetary saving, but there is more.

Get the most of your investment

In the market of Real Estate, is very well known that a floor with good decor, tasteful and elegant, sells and rents better than a naked, poor furnished floor. That is why you will always see beautiful and shiny decors whenever you visit a good space for rent (And sometimes even over-the-top, overcharged rooms). Of course, we all enjoy a beautiful, functional, and trendy flat for rent. But if we want to do it only with original pieces that maybe result in a little expensive for the lesser. Does space justify that amount? This is the moment when the Barcelona Chair Replica comes in. Well experimented owners know that replicas are a great tool to exploit the potential of your room without excessive investment.

Use it as a Proxy


Architects, decorators may have the opportunity of using a replica as a “proxy”, this is, a way to explore if this particular piece of design fits in our room.  If you are in the process of renovating one or two properties, your accent furniture may work better in some spaces than others.  With a replica, there is more space to play, since you didn’t spend a fortune to find out.
                                                                                                             

Don’t miss the opportunity, and go to Barcelona Designs, where you can get the best quality replicas of the Barcelona Chair, and the Barcelona Collection, for an affordable price. 

Always a best-seller: The Barcelona Chair

From the very beginning, the history of the Barcelona Chair was always a success. An unexpected result for a piece of furniture created just to satisfy the royal needs of the Kings of Spain during the International Exposition of Barcelona in 1929.

But since its release in such a public event, the legendary “X” shape in stainless steel of the Barcelona Chair frame, along with the comfortable leather cushions have called the attention of the trained eye and the candid eye, too. For the Spanish event, only two chairs were produced (upholstered with pigskin as it was used at the time). The German Pavilion was dismantled the next year (though restored in 1986) but that very year on 1930 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was negotiating the production with German manufacturers.

As we can figure it out, the production of theBarcelona Chair  suffered of  several setbacks during the WWII years, and its production stopped until the 1950s decade, when Knoll took over of the Barcelona Collection with stunning success until now. Today, the Barcelona Chair  is replicated by countless makers in the world, following the  thoughtful indications of the German Master. Barcelona Design has one of the best replicas in the market for this masterpiece.

For inspo, info, and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the opportunity in Manhattan Home Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Chair or the Barcelona Daybed.

Some words about the Barcelona Chair, by experts.

Let’s take a look to some words shared by several experts in Interior Design, about theBarcelona Chair, the master piece of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich.

‘It seems to evoke a reverence in the observer and naturally serves as a showpiece in any space: we often have to remind our clients that it is very ergonomic and fun to sit on too.’

The statement belongs to Jack Pannel, Director of Common Ground Workshop, and its clear on how the appealing design of theBarcelona Chair make us forget that it is actually a comfortable furniture piece, created not only to look good, but to relax and take it easy after a busy day.

‘The Barcelona chair was conceived as a ceremonial chair, so we find that it works best in an interior where it has space around it to breathe,’

This statement is from Nina Hertig, Furniture Specialist and Interior Designer, Sigmar London. Actually, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe knew from the very beginning what he was looking for: A modern royal throne. Thinking about the King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, who was the principal guest of the International Exposition of Barcelona in 1929. Even though Alfonso never sit there, there is no doubt that the final result of the Barcelona Chair was quite majestic.

Go to Barcelona Design, the best online store to buy Mid Century Modern furniture, and make your purchase in the safety and comfort of your home (don’t forget your code: NEWYOU). Besides, with free shipping, same day with FedEx, what could be better?

This Spring, Breathe in the Winds of Optimism in a Barcelona Table

With an Extra-Ordinary 78 % Off and even a Free Coat Rack,  don’t miss the opportunity of bringing home the beauty and convenience of a piece of Mid Century Modern Style, like a Barcelona Table

Spring is here and there are fresh winds of optimism in the air. In Manhattan Home Design we are ready to help you with the best offers in Sofas, Chairs, Tables, and Storage solutions for your home and spread the message of a coming well-being era.

The Barcelona Collection, with its Barcelona Table, the Barcelona Chair, and the Barcelona Sofa, is the perfect timeless living room set for a classic style. A new start with classic pieces of design is a way to look forward with your feet firmly down to earth. The Barcelona Table is a quite versatile piece of design that brings elegance, light, and functionality both in personal spaces (living room), and business spaces (offices, hallways, lobbies).

The Manhattan Home Design rendition of the Barcelona Table is by far the best of the market in terms of value-quality relation, thanks to its premium quality materials, like its aniline leather, and the carefully pre-assembly process.

Go to Manhattan Home Design, the best online store for Mid Century Modern furniture, and make your purchase in the safety and comfort of your home (don’t forget your code: SPRINGSALE). Besides, with free shipping, same day with FedEx, what could be better?

Your walls and your furniture

Walls are a real basic element in Interior Design, among the very bones of the structure of one space. Walls have a clear functional role, but they are perfect to show some décor and to express ourselves;  so all décor features are welcomed. As usual, balance is our best guiding principle, and is easy to tell when  one wall is overcharged with excess of portraits, shelves, or another element.

The relation wall – furniture is key to get a balanced room. When it comes to color, neutral hues are most of the time used in our walls to allow our  furniture shine by itself with bold choices. At the same time, walls may bring that special touch of contrasting color carrying our wall art,

High res photo or metal design. Among the most trendy wall elements for décor we have:

Macrame nets.

Very trendy nowadays, there are endless possibilities and models of hanging macramé nets bringing you a natural, warm experience when you see it every day. Macrame tend to be associated with light woods and clear colors, and is natural thinking in a Scandinavian décor as the ideal trend where Macrame can bright at its best. A Shell Chair is a great furniture addition in front of a wall with some macrame style.                                                              

Wall Art.

Traditionally wall art (paints, portraits, photographs) is a standard for almost every home. Walls are a great medium to expose or express our feelings and principles. Art is always well received. Nowadays,  High -Res photographs are a little passed; just like too extended personal or familiar images. Any image of set of images related to personal experiences and relations must be properly “cured, so you can show only the proper information. A colorful piece of furniture, like the Womb Chair, may fit really great in in a expressive set up.

Metal Wall Art.

An interesting choice that brings texture and beauty  to your wall. There are infinite possibilities in materials, designs aWomb Chair,nd size to get some character. You have to worry only about choosing an interesting theme, coherent with your style. Industrial furniture or Mid Century  Modern style are great trends to mix perfect with metal décor. The Barcelona Chair, with a stainless steel “X” shape frame and its black leather is a natural choice.

Wallpaper.

Once infamously popular in past decades (1940’s; 1960’s), it seems like that from time to time wallpapers come to be the sensation of décor and then loathed the next generation. This time looks like the stunning advances in printing, transform wallpapers into the ultimate décor tool. A Womb Chair, with it’s natural colorful design would work perfect with the right type of design.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the oportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Sofa or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.