Enjoying our Barcelona Day Bed is about more than owning the piece. The real difference between a real mid-century modern furniture connoisseur and another pretentious snob lies is knowing the history behind the Barcelona Day Bed.

You’ll get better compliments when you impress your guests with your knowledge of one of the best-known daybeds from the 20th century, the Barcelona Day Bed. That’s how you can set yourself apart from the rest- or at least demonstrate that you know what you bought. 

But as anyone who’s ever tried to discover the history behind a furniture piece can tell you, it isn’t easy.

Sometimes you need some expert support to help you on your way. 

So here are 3 interesting facts about the Barcelona Day Bed that can make you sound like a true mid-century modern expert collector. 

First things first, know its designer.

You can hardly sound like an expert if you don’t even know who designed the Barcelona Day Bed, can’t you?

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was one of the leaders of the German modernist movement and one of the most influential mid-century and modern furniture designers.

Mies van der Rohe served as director of Mies served as Vice President of the Deutscher Werkbund and then as Director of the Bauhaus from 1930 until it closed in 1933, Mies van der Rohe also built the Illinois Institute of Technology in which he served as Director in 1938 and the Seagram Building in New York.

Barcelona Daybed Only? More like Barcelona Collection!

Originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1930, a few people know that the Barcelona Day Bed is not a solo piece but a part of the Barcelona Collection!

The Barcelona Collection not only features the Barcelona Day Bed but it also includes an iconic chair, a very comfortable sofa, a distinguished table, and surprisingly, even an ottoman! All these pieces are available in our online store at Barcelona Designs, of course.

A daybed worthy of royalty

Where does the inspiration for the Barcelona Day Bed come from? The Barcelona Day Bed, as well as all the pieces in the Barcelona Collection, were originally designed with the idea of a resting place for the royalty of Spain in mind.

With that idea, Mies van der Rohe based his Barcelona Day Bed, with its characteristical crisscross frame, on the day beds and chairs of the Ancient Roman Empire.

The result? A day bed worthy of royalty that makes possible synchronicity between the ancient and the modern in human history.

Is there another fact that we forgot to mention? Let us know and we’ll update the post with the best facts! Remember to share your Barcelona Daybed picture with us to be featured on our website!