Customer Reviews

Mies and Modern Living

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This book contains a multitude of in-depth, scholarly essays focusing, in the main, on the furniture designs of renowned modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. All the iconic pieces get their due. The Pavilion (Barcelona) Chair designed for the famous German Pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition gets especially extensive coverage. Did you know that the buttoning pattern on the original cushions is different from that produced today? Or that various assembly methods have been used, over time, for the steel frame? Need to know the size screw used at various points? It's here. The other metal furniture is here as well: chairs, tables, even a recliner. Would you believe wood furniture by Mies? Yes, it's here. Also gone into is the collaboration on various designs between Mies and Lilly Reich.

An informative essay entitled "Architecture and Art: Mies van der Rohe Builds for Art Collectors" deals with the rarely covered Lange, Esters and Wolf Houses and the design approach taken to facilitate display of the clients' extensive art collections. Another essay focusing on an individual house looks at the little known Lemke House, a small, elegantly proportioned gem.

In a category I call Esoteric Tales are essays on the name change from Ludwig Mies, the various photographers who produced images of his work, Mie's interest in 'wallpaper', the fate of the famous Kolbe sculpture, "Morning", and others.

To sum it up, this book is probably not for someone with only a casual, or even moderate, interest in Mie's architecture. However, for those who feel the need to know things in detail, especially as regards the furniture, this book is a fount of information. It is well illustrated with b&w and a sprinkling of color photos, drawings and even x-ray photos.