Trained at the Bauhaus under Walter Gropius, Breuer brought the school’s core principles to furniture design: function, structure, industrial materials and a pared-down aesthetic born of utility. At just 23 years old, inspired by the handlebars of his bicycle, he created an entirely new kind of seat. Instead of wood, he used chrome-plated steel tubing; instead of bulky upholstery, he opted for Eisengarn straps—a strong waxed cotton thread developed by Bauhaus-trained weaver Margaretha Reichardt.

The tubular steel frame of the Wassily chair, with 20 mm diameter bent tubes, posed a direct challenge to tradition. It was flexible yet firm, modern yet comfortable. Breuer finalised the design in 1925, continuing to refine it until 1928. The original chair furnished the rooms of the Bauhaus in Dessau, and its first production was undertaken by Standard Möbel, a company founded by Breuer himself and later absorbed by Thonet.

The name of the chair, however, came decades later. It was Italian designer Dino Gavina who, in the 1960s, rediscovered Model B3 and renamed it “Wassily” after learning that Kandinsky—Breuer’s mentor and friend—had been one of the first to show interest in it. In 1968, following the acquisition of Gavina SpA by American firm Knoll, the Wassily chair became part of the international design canon.

Knoll continues to produce the Wassily

Today, Knoll still produces the Wassily chair, offering it in leather and various colours, without altering its essence: a chair that redefines the boundary between art and industry. Its legacy is seen not only in its timeless visual impact, but also in the influence it had on later designs like Breuer’s own Cesca chair and Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair.

Breuer, whose career as an architect would eventually lead to the Whitney Museum in New York, once called this chair “the least artistic, the least logical, the least comfortable and the most mechanical” of his works. Yet perhaps for that very reason, it remains the most revolutionary—a turning point from which modern design found a new path.

Product: Wassily chair.
Designer: Marcel Breuer.
Design year: 1925.
Current manufacturer: Knoll.
Photos: Knol.

Marcel Breuer: the engineer of modern form

Born in Pécs (Hungary) in 1902, Marcel Breuer was one of the great figures of the modern movement. Educated at the Bauhaus—first as a student, then as master carpenter—he embodied like few others the school’s mission to unite art, craft and industry. His work, both in furniture and architecture, pursued functional innovation without renouncing formal expression.

In the 1920s, he revolutionised design with his steel tube furniture, including the Wassily chair, which signalled the beginning of a new era in modern furniture. Later, he moved to the United States, where he built a prolific architectural career. He collaborated with Walter Gropius, taught at Harvard University, and designed landmark buildings such as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York (1966), now home to the Frick Madison.

Although Breuer never worked directly for Knoll, his relationship with the company was key: he was a mentor to Florence Knoll and recommended the hiring of Eszter Haraszty, one of the most influential figures in the brand’s textile division. In 1968, Knoll acquired Breuer’s furniture collection from the Italian firm Gavina, ensuring the global reach and continued production of pieces like the Wassily, the Cesca chair and the Laccio table.

Breuer passed away in 1981, leaving behind a profound legacy: a design capable of being industrial without losing its soul, an architecture of clear lines and firm convictions, and a modern vision that still surprises us with its radical clarity.

Tugendhat Chair was originally created in 1929 for the legendary The Tugendhat Villa in Brno (Czech Republic) designed and built by Mies and Lilly Reich. The Tugendhat Villa is undoubtedly one of the greatest examples of total design.

With its elegant cantilevered form, the Tugendhat Chair embodies the technical precision and artistic intent that permeate everything Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed. The steel frame is refined in both construction and materiality, while the thick cushions provide a high degree of comfort and cosy informality.

It is only logical that the Knoll team returned the Tugendhat chair to its place of origin to launch the campaign for its resurrection. The chair was last produced in 1979. This reissued model is painstakingly faithful to the original, although today almost every element of the design can be customised: the stainless steel finish, upholstery and leather options for the cushions and models with or without arms. Which is your favourite?

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Considered one of the most important figures in architectural history, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ‘s “less is more” approach to design was the gold standard for many generations of modern architecture. His legendary career began humbly in his father’s masonry business, which gave him an early appreciation of materials and structures. From there he went on to apprentice with furniture designer Bruno Paul in Berlin, before joining the office of Peter Behrens, an architect and painter at the forefront of the modern movement.

In 1912, Mies established his own office in Berlin. Through furniture, residential projects and extraordinary skyscraper concepts, yet to be realised, he gained recognition as a leader of the German modern movement. As such, he was selected to design the German Pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.

Mies was Vice-President of the Deutsher Werkbund and Director of the Bauhaus from 1930 until its closure in 1933. He emigrated to the United States in 1938 to become director of architecture at the Armour Institute (later Illinois Institute of Technology). From his Chicago studio, Mies designed a series of buildings that changed American institutional architecture, including the IIT campus and the Seagram Building in New York.

Source: Knoll.