Large Barcelona Coffee Table by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll
View Similar Items
Large Barcelona Coffee Table by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)Width: 60 in (152.4 cm)Depth: 60 in (152.4 cm)
- Style:Bauhaus (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960-1969
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent vintage condition; original glass. The frame has been polished.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1645233411662
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Architect, furniture designer and educator, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a central figure in the advancement and promotion of modernist design and architectural theory and practice. Like Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, he was a hugely influential presence in the field, who shaped the course of 20th-century architecture both through his buildings and his teaching of rationalist design principles.
Born in the medieval German city of Aachen, Mies found an interest in architecture as a boy while working for his father, a master stonemason. He had no formal education as an architect, but learned his skills as an apprentice to the designer Bruno Paul, and as a staffer in the office the proto-modernist architect and designer Peter Behrens. Following World War I, Mies rose to prominence in his field amid the liberal atmosphere of the Weimar Republic. His reputation was secured by his work on the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona (commonly referred to as the Barcelona Pavilion) — which Mies codesigned with Lilly Reich, his creative and romantic partner — a radically simple, poetic, open-plan building pared down to its architectural essentials. Mies would go on to direct the Bauhaus from 1930 until 1933, when Nazi-government interference forced the closure of the progressive art and design school. Later that decade, he made his way to Chicago, where he remained for the rest of his career as a practicing architect and a dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Mies’s famed dictum “less is more” grew from his belief that architecture both guides and expresses the spirit of the times, and he envisioned the 20th century as open-minded, logical, transparent and liberated by technology. His best-known buildings — residences such as the Villa Tugendhat in Czechoslovakia and the Farnsworth House in rural Illinois; skyscrapers like the 860–880 Lake Shore Drive apartment towers in Chicago and the Seagram Building in New York — reflect that philosophy. As do the most famous furniture designs authored by him or codesigned with Reich.
Pieces designed by Mies and Reich such as the Barcelona chair (the authorized version is produced by Knoll today), stools and daybed, or the cantilevered Brno chairs, deliver a maximum of comfort and support from a minimum of materials: their “lavishness” derives from the precision with which they are engineered and constructed. For the collector, the allure of Mies’s furniture is at once practical and idealistic. Useful and functional, his works embody the highest aspirations of modernism.
Find vintage Mies van der Rohe chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Florence Knoll Square Walnut Coffee TableBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Los Angeles, CADesigned by Florence Knoll in the 1950s, this simple coffee table has four square legs of chromed steel. The square tabletop sits flush with the frame and is made of a walnut veneer....Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Warren Platner Coffee Table for Lehigh LeopoldBy Warren Platner, Lehigh LeopoldLocated in Los Angeles, CAA stunning and rare piece designed by Warren Platner and manufactured by Lehigh Leopold, c.1960s, USA. The coffee table features a black leather surface in a frame of solid walnut wo...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Edward Wormley Burl Coffee Table for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Los Angeles, CACoffee table designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, c.1950s, USA. The rectangular table features an ebonized base with six turned wood legs and stretchers that reach the length of th...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMaple, Burl
- Gerald McCabe "H" Series Coffee Table for Eon FurnitureBy Eon Furniture, Gerald McCabeLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe "H" Coffee Table by Gerald McCabe for Eon Furniture, c.1965, USA is a minimalist design that stands the test of time. This piece features a thick rectangular green glass table to...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Marble Terrazzo Coffee Table by FramacLocated in Los Angeles, CAMarble top coffee table by Framac, c.1960s, Australia. The rectangular table features a blackwood frame and marble terrazzo stone top in varying green, gray and cream tones. The tab...Category
Mid-20th Century Australian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMarble
- Edward Wormley Walnut Coffee Table with Stone Inlay for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Los Angeles, CAEdward Wormley extending coffee table for Dunbar, c.1960s, USA. The walnut table features a brass edge detailing around all sides of table. Once extended the table reveals two stone ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStone, Brass
- Barcelona Coffee Table by Mies Van Der Rohe for KnollBy Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Dronten, NLThe Barcelona table was created by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lily Reich for the German Pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona Exposition, the Barcelona table features the pure composition...Category
Mid-20th Century American Bauhaus Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Barcelona Coffee Table by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for KnollBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Palm Springs, CAPolished Chrome Barcelona coffee table by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for Knoll. These were from the Northrop Grumman Corporation...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Mies Van Der Rohe for Knoll Barcelona Coffee TableLocated in New York, NYMies Van Der Rohe for Knoll Barcelona coffee table with a glass top. Measures: 17" H x 34" W x 34" D.Category
Mid-20th Century Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Mies Van Der Rohe Label Stamped Barcelona Table, Knoll Products, circa 1970sBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Buffalo, NYBarcelona coffee table designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll International circa 1970. Originally created in 1930 for the Mies-designed Villa Tugendhat in Brno, ...Category
Vintage 1970s Bauhaus Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Rare Pre Knoll Production Barcelona Coffee Table by Mies van der Rohe, 1955By Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Kansas City, MORare, early and historically significant Barcelona coffee table produced by Gerry Griffith in 1955 for Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Chicago prior to production by Knoll. His versions ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Bauhaus Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Barcelona Coffee Table by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll, Early 1960s ProductionBy Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Kansas City, MOEarly 1960s Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Barcelona coffee table. Solid stainless steel frame with the original glass top. No chips...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStainless Steel