Since the start of the year, I have developed an ardent fascination with the Barcelona Chair. I love its simple design and timeless beauty, and how it can instantly add a seamless layer of chic to a room. I love how it made tufting look so quiet and modern.
The Barcelona Chair was designed by acclaimed German architect Mies Van der Rohe for the German Pavilion at the Barcelona World’s Fair in 1928. Can you believe this chair was designed over 80 years ago? The design still looks incredibly modern. And if one is not aware of the lineage and history of this chair, it would be easy to think of it as a recent creation. While the original design was made in stainless steel with ivory leather, the Barcelona Chair now has many variations and has inspired countless other furniture designs.
Personally I love them in white Italian full grain aniline leather. I would love for this modern classic to find a place in my living room. I want it in pairs - with matching ottomans. How glorious, di ba!
But since we live in Manila where air pollution is at a very notorious level, maybe black Italian full grain aniline leather would be a more reasonable option. I think it would survive better.
I am saving up for my Barcelona. In the meantime I find myself going to my digital album of Barcelona chairs.... patiently waiting...
How about you, what color do you like? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this...
image credits: all images taken from various sources. Sorry, did not note down sources as it was just primarily intended to be for my private digital album.
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ay, can't afford too! ever since we planned the look of the house, I've wanted Eames and Barcelona chairs, but even the reproductions are way expensive! :)))
ReplyDeleteDream nalang....love the whites too! but not practical with growing, messy kids, sayang.
Hello Mich and Tina,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the Barcelona chair. We have a pair with matching ottomans at home, but in black! We have a pair of Delano chairs also, in white leather. I wanted to address your question about having white leather chairs at home and with kids. Really, it comes down to this...train the child not to mess with the chairs - hahaha! Giada, 4, and Tessa, 1, know NOT to mess with white leather! But if they do, there are many leather protectors out there. That said, we never put any protectors or sprays on ours, but we find that leather is easily wipeable! So far, no major accidents that left marks (yet)! With regards to dust, I know Manila is notorious for pollution and dirt, and we have that here in Canada, too :) The only thing with Barcelona is cleaning in between the tufting is something you may have to constantly look after. But in my experience, black actually tends to show more dust. Our white chairs are the ones that "hide" dust better. Be that as it may, I'm really not sure how "dust shows" there in Manila.
Tina, I am sure you will love your Barcelonas! They are indeed classics, probably the most replicated chair in the world, but a good pair is a great investment! We've sat on ours for hours on end and never had any complaints! Good luck! Have a great weekend!
Jen, yung dust dito... soot na ang tawag sa Canada.:) Thanks for your valuable input.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, let's us both keep our fingers crossed.. our Barcelonas are within our reach - maybe sooner than we think! :)
Hahaha, ganun ba? Soot na? LOL!
ReplyDeleteHi Tina! Just chanced upon your blog when my sis forwarded this entry. Currently having our house built and always on the lookout for nice furniture and decorating ideas. I love the barcelona chairs and hope that we can somehow save to have it in our future home.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! Will certainly be visiting your blog often. Thanks for sharing!
-michelle
does anyone know where to buy barcelona chairs in manila?
ReplyDeleteI have seen a very bad repro of the Barcelona chair in a store in North EDSA... very poor quality of workmanship.
ReplyDeleteTina I'm like you...been dreaming of a Barcelona chair for years now! :-) The closest I got is to put in my mood board for a class project! haha!!
ReplyDeleteIt is really a great achievement to create a beautiful interior design by using Barcelona Chairs. Nice sharing about beautiful royal design.
ReplyDelete