There’s something undeniably, irrepressibly joyful about sitting on cantilever chair – the mild bounce brings a child-like sense of glee to even probably the most curmudgeonly manner. And, after swooning on the preview unveiled throughout Salone del Cell earlier this 12 months, we’re delighted that Knoll is bringing again one in all historical past’s best cantilevered seats to market: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Tugendhat Chair.
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Knoll)
The Tugendhat Chair was initially designed in 1929 for the legendary villa of the identical identify, itself designed and constructed for the household of the identical identify in Brno, within the Czech Republic, by Mies and Lilly Reich. The Tugendhat Villa is definitely one of many best examples of complete design. From panorama to structure to inside to furnishings down to each final element, the villa was greater than a mission or a fee, it was a world-building train for van der Rohe and Reich, and the Tugendhats too, in fact (one hopes). Nonetheless at present, the expertise of getting into the villa and its grounds is completely transporting. It’s a portal to a wonderful, higher world.
The Tugendhat Villa, Brno
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Knoll)
So it was solely becoming that the crew at Knoll returned the Tugendhat Chair to its birthplace to shoot the marketing campaign for its resurrection, and with magnificent outcomes. The chair itself was final in manufacturing in 1979. The reissued mannequin is rigorously devoted to the unique – bottoms haven’t grown a lot it appears – at present although, practically each design aspect may be customised: from the stainless-steel end to quite a lot of upholstery and leather-based decisions for the cushions to choices for chairs with or with out arms. We’ll take ours armless with burgundy mohair velvet upholstery please.
Tugendhat Chairs within the library on the Tugendhat Villa
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Knoll)
Because the Tugendhat Chair comes again to market, we requested Jonathan Olivares, Knoll’s senior vice-president of design, to provide us his tackle rebirthing an icon (and sure, this is among the solely occasions that dreaded phrase is actually becoming).
Wallpaper*: Why the choice to reissue the Tugendhat chair at this second in time?
Jonathan Olivares: As a result of it is so excellent and for no matter motive was now not in manufacturing. The chair has all the time been related and can all the time be… like a Roman bathtub, or throne, it pertains to and elevates the human physique.
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Knoll)
W*: Did you uncover any shocking particulars or anecdotes in your analysis into the chair’s origins?
JO: There have been some small discrepancies between van der Rohe’s unique drawings and a few of the archival items that we discovered. The drawings had equal spacing between the straps and the higher backrest bar, the archival items had a bigger hole. We finally went with the drawings which appeared higher proportioned.
Tugendhat Chairs at residence within the Tugendhat Villa
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Knoll)
W*: Does it sit as fortunately in our lives at present because it did within the Nineteen Thirties?
JO: A exceptional side about van der Rohe’s furnishings is how rarified and unique it was. It was not meant to be inexpensive or democratic design. The Barcelona chair was made for the king and queen of Spain and the Tugendhat chair was for the rich house owners of the villa Tugendhat. What’s particular at present is that the designs, whereas remaining unique, are accessible to a wider public.
W*: Have you ever made any diversifications?
JO: The one adaptation are plastic glides that stop the chair’s metal base from scratching flooring. Although purists can simply take away them.
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Supply: Wallpaper
