Barcelona® Couch

Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1930

Designed in 1930, the Barcelona Couch shares the same simple elegance as the iconic lounge chair of the same name. Mies van der Rohe's command of line and material in all medium, from architecture to furniture, helped define the modern vocabulary.

Product story

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 Rohes exacting standards ever since.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of architecture, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe brought a less-is-more approach to everything he designed, from furniture to skyscrapers. Architecture is a language, wrote Mies van der Rohe. When you are very good you can be a poet.

Specifications
- Available in a range of Spinneybeckae leathers; Edelman Brule9e leather; Haven linen-blend fabric; Knoll Textiles Fancy Twill; and Knoll Textiles Velvet
- Cushion has 72 individual squares of fabric or leather from a single cowhide that are cut, hand-welted, and hand-tufted with buttons
- Two cushion fill options:
- Standard: Premium quality, highly resilient polyurethane foam with down-like Dacron polyester fiberfill
- Relaxed: Soft density, fire retardant urethane foam blanketed with a non-woven fabric topper and an additional Dacron layer for a softer feel; relaxed cushions are more supple and casual in appearance
- Belting leather straps with edges dyed to match are stretched over rubber webbing for cushion support
- Color of belting leather straps depends on upholstery selection, except for the onyx legs, which are always paired with black straps
- Bolster in matching leather or fabric
- Tubular steel legs in a polished or ultra-matte onyx finish
- Platform is Sapele Mahogany from Africa, finished with a protective clear lacquer
- The Knoll logo and signature of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe are stamped into the frame

Sustainable Design and Environmental Certification
- Learn more about Barcelonaae Couch product certifications and materials at Ecomedes.