Time flies. There are a lot of things that come up and down, but some others remain the same. Its what happens with the Barcelona Collection, an achievement of Interior Design that was created in 1929 and that has lasted to this day. 

What is the Barcelona Collection?

The Barcelona Collection is a line of furniture representative of Mid Century Modern Style. It was created in 1929 for the International Exposition of Barcelona, and it was manufactured first in Germany, and after a brief interruption, in America to this day, conquering new markets and users from all over the world. The rise of the Barcelona Collection made it so popular, that now there is a vibrant market of replicas all around America and Europe. 

What items are in the Barcelona Collection?

The Barcelona Collection is formed by 

The Barcelona Daybed

Let’s take a look at each element of the collection.
The Barcelona Chair is the original piece of the Collection, and it has all the elements that are extended in the rest of it. Its sober, sleek design of an “X” chrome steel based frame, with a comfortable squared cushion, is an icon of design because of its refined simplicity and beauty. The Barcelona Sofa is the extension of the Barcelona Chair into a sofa, keeping the same concept, with three seats. Its the same for the Barcelona Loveseat, for two seats. The best combination of these three elements depends on the needs of the particular space we are willing to decor. Nevertheless, the elements of the Barcelona Collection have enough beauty and value to stand up each one for it selves, or as a part of the whole collection. 
The Barcelona Table and the Barcelona Ottoman are the perfect sidekicks for decor arrangement in a living room, a family room, or even a bedroom. The Ottoman is elegant and solid in any of its color presentations. Its delicate and shiny leather end makes it ideal to make an accent in any room, or by the other hand, to make it a soft touch. To act as a complement of the solid, defined presence of the Chair, Sofa, and Loveseat, the Barcelona Table has a very light frame, topped with a squared glass. Elegant and sober as the rest of the collection, it works very well both in residential, as in office spaces.
The Barcelona Bench is a pair of solutions for seat and store. Versatile is the word for them. In its two versions of Two and Three seats, the benches are ready to offer good seat spaces when its needed and additional space for store bags or magazines. The benches are getting lots of popularity right now as center tables in small spaces.
The Barcelona Daybed is one tribute to the old Roman and Egyptian empires, mainly to the royal tents used in times of campaign. An elegant place to rest and relax, the Barcelona Daybed has a very distinguished look. They create a sense of comfort in your space, enlarge your room and bring perspective, without overcrowding your place. There are great focal points in large rooms.  

Who created the Barcelona Collection?

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created the Barcelona Collection in 1929. For a long time, the credits for its work were only attributed to van der Rohe. Nevertheless, some recent biographical reviews assign to Lilly Roche, a very remarkable place as co-creator of the Barcelona Collection and other furniture designs in the 1920s. The Barcelona Collection was released in the International Exposition of Barcelona, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was the Director of the German Pavilion. The German Pavilion was the national show of that country in the Exposition, and it meant by itself a remarkable jewel of the architecture, designed by van der Rohe, rising him as one of the leading architects of Modernism in Europe. 

Mid Century Modern and the Barcelona Collection

From a stylish point of view, the Barcelona Collection is part of the Modernism during the period of 1920s to 1940s; but since then it is considered as a creation from Mid Century Modern, due to the impulse that this school took in America from the 1950s, almost to this day.

Some characteristics of the Mid Century Modern are as well shared with the most part of the different works of this time, like Functionality over design; Experimental use of materials; Minimalism, and sustainability. 

How long is Mid Century Modern in Style

You can say that Mid Century Modern has, at least…70 years. Born in the 1950s as a movement, the Mid Century Modern, and with it, the Barcelona Collection, had its heyday at the end of the 1960s. The emergence of a new decade with its own referents and symbols will give to MCM some years in the shadows, but in the early 1990s, there is a renovated interest in the furniture concept of MCM, originally from scholars and collectors, that went permeating to a broader public. Nowadays, the Barcelona Collection and the Mid Century Modern Style are more popular than ever, and its a referent of fashion in many homes all around the world.     

Why is Mid Century Modern and the Barcelona Collection so Popular?

Mid Century Modern reached its first peak of popularity in the 1960s, in a golden age for the American society. The Design achievements of Mid Century Modern, and its beauty principles (clean-cut lines, minimalism, wood, and contrasting colors), are truly appreciated by the American public as charming, sophisticated and tasteful. This appreciation hasn’t changed since the early 1990s when it started the revival of Mid Century Modern to this day. That makes for at least 30 years the period of time Mid Century Modern and the Barcelona Collection has figured as a favorite item of the Interior Design a decor in America and Europe.

The sober lines and notes of wood and leather in the Barcelona Collection and Mid Century Modern, are a timeless sample of quality and sophistication.