Further Artist Research 3

In week 8, I continued researching another designer, and his name is Mies van der Rohe. As Deezen (2018) mentioned that Mies was born in Aachen in 1886. He is the son of a stonemason, and he worked in his father's workshop and for several design firms before moving to Berlin in 1905. His dream is work on a renowned architectural firm.

He is also known as the third and final director of the Bauhaus from 1930 to 1933. He wanted to focus on architecture rather than maintaining the workshop like structure of the earlier period. This shows his view that architecture is central to all design disciplines. In Mies's design philosophy, he always focus on minimalism, and he famously said, "less is more," meaning that details should be reduced to highlight the architecture and materials.

According to ICON Magazine (2020), one of most famous furniture designs of Mies is the Barcelona Chair, which is a collaboration with German architect and designer Lilly Reich. It first appeared with the Barcelona Pavilion at the 1929 World's Fair and subsequently became an international design icon. He intentionally designed a lounge chair with no arms and a wide seat. This gave the chair a simple yet sophisticated and elegant appearance. Notably, he created the chair with royalty in mind, when he knew that the King and Queen of Spain would be visiting the exhibition, he tried to create a chair that best suited them.

Besides that, he also took inspiration from ancient Egyptians and Roman folding chairs, known as curule chairs, as well as from the neoclassical seating styles of the 19th century. We can see two intersecting chrome-plated steel curves forming an X shape beneath the seat. Meanwhile, the back rest and front legs form a single arc, which cut across the S-shaped curve of the back legs and seat. Moreover, he used a neat grid of 40 panels to create this chair. Initially, it was covered in white pig-skin leather, but later it was replaced with bovine leather. This chair, which many consider a symbol of Mies's exceptional aesthetic sense and attention to detail, remains one of the most famous design interior of the 20th century.

I chose this chair for my research because of its shape. It has a very unique shape, different from ordinary chairs. The curve of the legs, forming an X, highlights the chair's structure. I can use this chair as an outstanding point in the client's workspace. Additionally, I can use the chair's curve to arrange other furniture or create wall niches with similar curves. This will make the space feel softer due to the similar lines. Furthermore, I can also copy the chair's curve for other furniture to create highlights and enhance the aesthetic value of the space.

Reference: 

            “The Barcelona Chair: A Modernist Classic.” ICON Magazine, 30 Mar. 2020, www.iconeye.com/design/the-barcelona-chair-a-modernist-classic. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.

            

            Astbury, Jon. “Mies van Der Rohe: The Modernist Architect Who Led the Bauhaus to Its End.” Dezeen, Dezeen, 19 Nov. 2018, www.dezeen.com/2018/11/19/mies-van-der-rohe-modernist-architect-third-director-bauhaus-100/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.