Mies van der Rohe

Less is more. But what remains is everything.

There are phrases so precise that you stop thinking about them and start living by them. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe didn’t just say "Less is more." He built it. Designed it. Stretched it onto chrome-plated steel frames and covered it with fine leather, so it could stand in a room forever.

The Architect Who Thought of Furniture as Buildings

Mies van der Rohe was an architect. The last director of the Bauhaus. And one of the few 20th-century designers whose furniture cannot be separated from his buildings. Because both embody the same principles: clarity as an attitude. Proportion as expression. Material as argument.

His designs embody reduction in its purest form – no superfluous line, no element without function. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, they possess a presence that transforms any space they inhabit.

The Barcelona Chair – Designed for a Moment

1929, for the German pavilion at the World's Fair in Barcelona. Not for sale – for a moment. King Alfonso XIII was to sit in this chair, and Mies van der Rohe wanted this chair to be worthy of the moment.

It was.

And it still is. Together with Lilly Reich, he designed the matching stool, the Barcelona chaise longue, and tables with glass tops and chrome frames. A system of a few, absolutely certain decisions. To this day, it is produced by Knoll International – with the same demands for authenticity that Mies van der Rohe himself would have made.

A vintage Barcelona Chair carries something that no new production can replicate: the time that has passed through it.

Our story about the Barcelona Chair

Brno Chair & MR Chair – The Other Icons

The Brno Chair, 1930. A cantilever chair made from a single steel tube that bends and supports the sitter. No superfluous connections. Not a gram too much.

The MR Chair, even earlier. The first cantilever chair in design history. An idea that was so simple it seemed obvious – and yet no one thought of it before him.

In addition, steel tube tables with glass tops that appear to float. Side tables that disappear. Objects so confident in their form that they calm any room they are in.

Why Vintage Mies van der Rohe

Mies van der Rohe's furniture was designed for spaces, not for catalogs. They need context – and vintage pieces provide it. The patina of the leather. The marks on the chrome. The history visible in the surface.

This is not a flaw. This is wabi-sabi before the word for it existed. An original piece from the 1970s has a depth of material that simply cannot be reproduced in new production – and a value that grows over time, rather than diminishes.

How to use Mies furniture in a room

Mies furniture does not require stylistic companionship. It works equally well in minimalist interiors and eclectic spaces—in the living area, the office, or the impressive reception room.

What it does need is space. Not a lot of space—but the right kind. A Barcelona Chair in front of a blank wall is no longer a blank wall. It fills the room with presence, not with bulk.

It is best combined with other pieces that share the same seriousness: a teak sideboard, a minimalist dining table, a floor lamp with a clear silhouette. Nothing that competes for attention.

Mies and his Friends

No designer of the 20th century stood alone. Mies van der Rohe was part of a generation that thought alike – with different hands, but the same conviction.

Le Corbusier arrived at the same materials through architecture: steel tubing, leather, precise proportions. His LC2 armchair and the LC4 Chaise Longue are not relatives of the Barcelona Chair – they are siblings.

Marcel Breuer was a Bauhaus colleague. The Wassily Chair, bent from bicycle handlebar tubing, proved that chrome and leather can be radical – and yet timeless.

Eileen Gray is the most underrated of the group. Her designs possess the same formal certainty as Mies's – and are still rarer to find today because they are less sought after.

Knoll connects them all. The label that produced Mies, Breuer, and their contemporaries – and continues to do so today, with the same standards. A Knoll piece is not just a piece of furniture. It is a statement.

At 2nd home, you will find curated vintage pieces from all four – strong individually, a statement together.

At 2nd home, you'll find a curated selection of vintage furniture by Mies van der Rohe and his contemporaries – Barcelona Chairs, Brno Chairs, lounge furniture, and Knoll classics. Each piece inspected. Each piece ready for its next room.

→ Discover the collection now

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Frequently Asked Questions about Mies van der Rohe

Which furniture did Mies van der Rohe design?
The most famous are the Barcelona Chair with matching ottoman and daybed, the Brno Chair, and the MR Chair – all characterized by cantilevered tubular steel constructions, leather, and precise proportions.

How can I identify an original Mies van der Rohe piece?
Originals from Knoll International bear an engraved Knoll signature on the frame or a plaque on the underside. Older pieces from the 1960s and 70s often have a characteristic leather patina and slightly duller chrome surfaces.

Which styles can Mies furniture be combined with?
With almost anything – as long as the room allows space. Mies furniture works in minimalist interiors as well as in eclectic spaces. They don't need stylistic company, just enough space to be seen.

Are vintage Mies van der Rohe pieces a good investment?
Yes. The demand for authentic Knoll productions and early reproductions is continuously growing. A well-preserved Barcelona Chair from the 1970s or 80s is worth more today than ten years ago.

Are Mies van der Rohe furniture pieces still produced today?
Many of his designs are still produced under license by Knoll International today. Vintage pieces differ in material depth, patina, and the craftsmanship quality of earlier production decades.