I know this has been touched on in a couple of other threads. But nothing too in depth.
My interest is not only which legit manufacturers produced the series from design to date but also what the differences might be in each particular production.
There seems to be alot of conflicting info out there.
I know the frames were altered once stainless steel became freely available mid century. And the early chair featured pigskin which was abandoned as well. But what else?
And who else manufactured them before Knoll obtained the rights upon redesign?
Gavina?
Stendig?
*
My Knoll Barcelona chairs have a slightly different strap-to -stainless screw head than do the Knoll Barcelona ottomans that I purchased a few years later. A very slight difference, however. I also think that the earliest versions had a thinner cushion design..but I have no reference. And weren't the original versions manufactured in brass or bronze?
Carry on.
How much
Um... keeping in mind that as cushions get sat on they get squashed down into nothingness. Now, I'm the first to admit that my 670 looked like an inner tube when I received it, but since then the cushions have flattened down considerably. I just wonder how much of what we see as 'normal' is just the result of 40 years of age.
Anyway, its my understanding of Knoll's history that they were the first mass producers of the Barcelona. Prior to that it was Joseph Muller who made the designs from 1927-1931. The head of Joseph Muller founded or joined a company called Bamberg who created the pieces in 1931. In 1947 Knoll built the first prototypes of the Barcelona for mass production. Florence knew Mies from IIT.
The Knoll frames were done through Trytel Gratz (which later became Gratz Industries). I believe they were the first ones to create the X of the frame through welding - instead of bolting two pieces and then covering the joint. I know that Mies approved all of the prototyping - but how much actual design work he did is unclear. He was happy that Grazt was able to create a much smaller intersection of the X.
After that I don't know much about the changes.
From what I've read the only...
From what I've read the only major fasteners on the German production was to connect the sides with a machined out half lap. The sides were welded and constructed from 2 C shapes butted together, hence the larger bulk of the original join, Knoll welds throughout with a lap X at the join. Original padding was horsehair, am not sure if Knoll every used it or latex or anything else before poly or if they used it from the outset.
Alcoa also tried an aluminium version but it was a failure, also its Trietel Gratz.
http://www.gratzindustries.com/history
The cushions of my Vitra...
The cushions of my Vitra Eames chair don't seem inflated at all. They look great and the thickness and overall quality of the leather is excellent. I'm confident that with the right care the leather will gain a nice patina over time. We'll have to wait and see about the shock mounts I guess...
Edit: Can't seem to post images via Flickr. Included a web link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gunther_dhondt/4998655589/
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