Design classics can cost up to £4,000 more than their copies. But is the real thing really worth it? Read our guide to three of the most iconic chairs around, and learn the skills for spotting a fake.
With its roots in the Bauhaus, one of the most famous design movements of the 20th century, the Barcelona Chair is the Big Daddy of furniture design. Its iconic status makes it popular among homemakers in the know, as well as corporate giants who love to show it off in their lobbies.
Design History
The Barcelona Chair was designed back in 1929 by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the Wermacht pavilion at the World Cup Expo in Barcelona. As it was supposed to be used by the King and Queen of Spain during the opening ceremony, he looked to the throne-like form of the sella curulis (an ancient stool used by Roman magistrates) for inspiration. The frame was hand finished and the cushions were made by skilled glove makers. Knoll International has had the exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute The Barcelona Chair, plus its matching footstool (£1,330) since 1948.
About The Designer
Born in Aachen, Germany, in 1886, Mies van der Rohe originally trained as an architect. He went on to become one of the leading exponents of modern architecture and was director of the Bauhaus from 1929 to 1933. In 1937 he moved to Chicago to teach at the city's Armour Institute of Technology. He designed some seminal buildings in America before he died in 1969.
Credit: Jan Baldwin
What It's Made Of And How?
The frame is formed from strips of steel, which are shaped, welded and ground by hand before being polished and chromed. It takes one person two days to sew the cushions using 126 individual pieces of leather, taken from a complete hide. The cutter determines the overall look of the cushions, as each piece of leather is a different shape and size and varies in colour. It is available to buy in 841 standard leather colour options.
Is It Worth The Money?
There are imitations out there for around the £300 mark, but you get what you pay for and copies can lack the subtleties and quality of the real thing. According to Knoll, a lot of copiers slip up with the cushions, which can look 'brutal and rectangular'. Apart from the fact that a copy often doesn't look as good as the real thing, there's also the legal side of the argument to consider. In the US and Germany it is actually illegal to call a chair a Barcelona Chair, unless it is produced by Knoll. And as a Knoll spokesperson points out: ‘If you buy a Knoll Barcelona Chair you are buying something with real and intrinsic value. Some 1970s Knoll Barcelonas are now selling at auction for around £900 each.'
What Will This Chair Say About You?
You are a true modernist at heart, but one who can appreciate the luxuries in life.
Stockists
020 7236 6655 or www.knoll.com
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