Brno Flat Bar Side Chair

Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1930

Designed by Mies van der Rohe for his renowned Tugendhat House in Brno, Czech Republic, the chair reflects the groundbreaking simplicity of its original environment. The design is celebrated for its lean profile, clean lines and meticulous attention to detail.

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Details

FEATURES

A simple profile, clean lines and meticulous attention to detail have made Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's 1930 Brno chair an icon of 20th-century design.

The KnollStudio logo and the signature of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe are stamped into the base of each chair.

 

CONSTRUCTION

Steel frame with no visible connections between seat and frame.
Seat and back constructed of durable hardwood.
Fully upholstered seat and back with variable density foam.
Opaque, plastic, snap-in-place glides are included for optional insertion when used on hard floors.

 

FINISHES

Available in polished or satin finish chrome frame.
Fully upholstered seat and back available in a wide range of fabrics and leathers. This product is available with foam that meets requirements for BS5852.

Dimensions

 
BRNO FLAT BAR SIDE CHAIR

58cm W x 59cm D x 79cm H with a seat height of 46cm.


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Product Story image

The Tugendhat House, often considered to be Mies van der Rohe’s defining residential work, is the summation of his ideas incorporated at every level of the design. Architectural historian Peter Blake explains in his book Master Builders: “As in every one of his designs, from skyscrapers to dining chairs, Mies reduces each object to its essential elements, and then refined each detail to a point of almost breathtaking beauty and eloquence. There was nothing in this house that did not reflect this process of distillation to the point of utter perfection — not a window mullion, not a heating pipe, not a lighting fixture, not an ashtray.”

While there were 24 Tubular Brno Chairs in the Tugendhat House, there was only one Flat Bar Brno chair in master bedroom and, unlike the tubular version, the design was not subsequently put into production. In 1958 Phillip Johnson requested that Knoll produce the flat bar Brno Chair for use in his design of the Four Seasons restaurant. After making a few slight adjustments, including added cushioning — all with the approval of Mies — Knoll reintroduced the chair in 1958 and continues to produce each chair to Mies’ exacting standards, thanks to a collaboration with the Mies van der Rohe Archives at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Designer image

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe began his career working in his father's stonemasonry business. After an apprenticeship with furniture designer Bruno Paul in Berlin, he joined the office of architect Peter Behrens, whose work presaged the modern movement. In 1912, Mies established his own office in Berlin, and later became a member of the Deutscher Werkbund and Director of the Bauhaus.

He immigrated to the United States in 1938, setting up a practice in Chicago. His buildings include the German Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona Exposition, the Tugendhat Villa in Brno, Czechoslovakia, the Seagram Building, designed with Philip Johnson, a cluster of residential towers along Chicago's Lakeshore Drive in Chicago, and the Illinois Institute of Technology campus, where he was the director of architecture.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 - 1969) Birthplace Germany