The Barcelona chair dates back to Mies Van der Rohe’s time. It is commonly known as the Barcelonan chair because it was used by the Barcelona authorities at that time. It was created as an improvement over the ordinary chairs that were in place at the Exposition, which had been the first modern exhibition in Europe. The Barcelona chair has taken on the role of being the symbol for Barcelona as a place to exhibit and do business. This was during the time of the great depression, when there was an increase in international trade. With the use of the Barcelona chair, it showed that the authorities of Barcelona could not be lacking in terms of business skills or design.
Mies Van der Rohe worked with the famous architect Antoni Gaudi to create this Barcelona chair and exhibition stand. The chair was first put into action at the Salon del Sole Mitros, when the fairs started. At first the Barcelona chair was used as a reception and waiting chair, until it was made into a mobile and portable stand by Gaudi. With the success of the Barcelona chair at the Exposition, other people wanted to create similar exhibits and stands, and so the Barcelonan chair became associated with modern architecture.
During the late thirties, the Barcelona chair was first designed and built for use as a reception desk. It was a very simple design and so was much cheaper than the modern structures available at that time. The Barcelona chair design was carried through to the designing of the Barcelona pavilion, which stands today in the centre of the Barcelona city centre. Today, the Barcelona Pavilion is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Barcelona. The main entrance is to the left of the entrance, which is usually closed to visitors, but for those who want to walk into the Pavilion, it can be opened. The Barcelona Pavilion has two sections – the public section and the private section.
In the early part of the twenties a number of companies began manufacturing Barcelona chairs and table-tops. By the end of the twenties, the demand had increased dramatically, making production far more difficult. A few companies managed to get the idea and built their own designs, but the mass production was not possible until the late thirties when mass production became possible thanks to new machines which could cut down on the length of the materials needed. It was then that the Barcelona chair took shape.
The Barcelona chair design had become increasingly popular with businessmen, who were keen to save money, so they produced lower quality chairs at a much lower rate, but of high quality construction. Because these chairs were so successful in Barcelona during the Popular Era, they were hugely successful throughout the rest of the world. The Barcelona chair was so successful that there are clubs, hotels, restaurants and even Barcelonan homes that have a Barcelona chair within their interior. The popularity of the Barcelona chair is such that the chair has been named after the famous Barcelona during the Spanish Popular Era.
A very famous type of Barcelona chair is the Barcelona German pavilion. The Barcelona German pavilion was extremely popular with businessmen, as it offered them an extremely stylish and refined looking chair for their offices. One of the most famous firms that used the Barcelona chair during the Popular Era was the Bavarian firm of Mies Van Der. The company’s main office was located in the town of Barcelona, and it used to have a huge collection of these chairs which they placed in various rooms. Mies Van Der Rhoe ended up designing some of the most prestigious houses in Europe, including the elegant Hotel Intercontinental, which is still open to this day.
The Barcelona chair has had its ups and downs throughout the years. On one hand, the material used to construct the Barcelona chair was originally made from steel, which was very pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, steel proved to be too much of a risk because of the fact that it would get rusted very quickly, and therefore had to be changed. Therefore, the Barcelona German style was born, with the use of aluminum as the main material.
The Barcelona chair still has the original design of the time, and the original chrome finish is still very attractive. Some of the latest chairs design, which were being used in the late nineteen thirties, have features such as a side swing or a back swing, and even a pedestal on which to place a magazine rack. One design that is somewhat similar is the German pavilion, and both chairs were introduced by the same company, called Mies Van Der Rhoe. Although there are many similarities, there are also many differences between the Barcelona chair and the German pavilion, especially because of the materials used. Both chairs were made from stainless steel, and the aluminum ones were the main competitors at the time. Today, both of these kinds of chairs are still used, but one has to admit that the Barcelona chair has a slightly more classic look and is definitely more comfortable than the German version.
