Though many people think our Barcelona Chair Replica is subject to various industrial processes, the truth is that craftsmanship is still the way to go. In the case of the gorgeous Barcelona chair, as well as all the pieces in our Barcelona Collection and Best Sellers. it’s an integral part of the manufacturing scheme, one that’s not likely to go away any time soon.
How our Barcelona Chair is Made
It all started with the idea of a scissor
Though very firm and squared, the Barcelona chair was actually conceived to be curvier, an S-shaped idea of a bench that was “fit for a king,” as the designer himself described. The Spanish ruler at the time, Alfonso XIII, was attending the Barcelona Pavilion (hence the name) in which the chair first appeared to the public. Mies designed it specifically for that purpose.
However, its royal origins were not the only inspiration for Mies and Reich. The garden chair or bench, usually crafted out of metal and painted all over, was the basis for the final design. If you look closely at the Barcelona chair, you can see the logic behind its form.
The Basic Manufacturing Process
Our Barcelona Chair replica is comprised mainly of chromed steel or stainless steel flat strips, that are welded together, to form a strong frame.
Then, we choose high-grade steel or stainless steel to ensure that the chair survives many years of use. Stainless steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, with a minimum of 10.5% chromium. It is resistant to rust and corrosion, making it ideal for the manufacture of high-quality Barcelona Chairs.
Each cushion of our Barcelona Chair is manufactured from forty individual pieces of leather. Each square is individually cut to size. The buttons hold the patchwork of leather squares together. The piping between each button is also composed of separate pieces. The buttons are hand-stitched in position.
After the final assembly and quality checks, our Barcelona Chair is ready for distribution to the customer.
The Barcelona Chair Today
In 1930, the first commercial production of the Barcelona chair started, only days after its appearance at the Spanish Pavilion. The metalwork was from the studio of Josef Müller, already a famous artisan in his own right.
The Barcelona chair underwent many changes to its first shape, but only material-wise. Better ways of welding the metal below its cushions became prominent, and the chair with them. Its royal origins again provided a space for it to be adopted into the elites of society, and it became a highly coveted object.
Nowadays, many reproductions and knockoffs of the Barcelona chair are produced every year. To avoid confusion, copyright claims, or other issues, some dealers tend to refer to it as the “Pavilion” chair. A great number of these reproductions only resemble the idea of the chair, but an original design (found at companies like Knoll today) is much more valuable.