Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed Villa Tugendhat for Grete and Fritz Tugendhat in Brno. Built in 1929–30, the house uses its sloping site to give the entrance a restrained presence from the street while opening the main living spaces toward the garden below. The change in level makes arrival a gradual discovery of the larger interior.
A steel structure allows the living area to flow around freestanding partitions. An onyx wall and a curved wall finished in Macassar wood define places within the room without enclosing each activity. Slender columns and carefully positioned furniture continue this arrangement. Rich materials, clear structural order and the relationship with the garden give the open plan its particular character.
Mies worked with Lilly Reich and Sergius Ruegenberg on the furnishings, including seating associated with the house. Restoration between 2010 and 2012 returned the building and garden toward their 1930 appearance, with replicas of original furniture. Reading the house through its spaces and fittings shows how architecture and interior design were conceived as a connected whole.
Barcelona chair
