When most people think of modernism, images of Mid-Century design from the 1950s and 1960s are often conjured up in the mind. Modernism started much earlier than those decades, though. The roots of modernism started at the turn of the century, and one of the top architects leading the way was Mies van der Rohe.
Born in 1886 in Germany, Mies (as he was known by his colleagues), began his career defined with design aesthetics. Starting out working in his father's stone-carving shop, he also worked alongside talented designers at local design firms in his hometown. After gaining a love and appreciation of design, Mies moved to Berlin and began work with the interior design firm run by designer Bruno Paul. Realizing that he preferred architecture to interior design, he began seriously considering the profession by interning at the studio of famed architect Peter Behrens, from 1908 to 1912. It was here that he discovered all the progressive and innovative design theories that were characterizing Germany’s design world at the time. He also met and collaborated with two other architects who would go on to define modernism, Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier.
World War I brought many changes to the design world, ushering in a new, international style that favored simplicity and dismissed ornament. Mies worked on many experimental projects during this time, two of which would go on to be his most famous. The German Pavilion for the Barcelona exposition (also known as simply the Barcelona Pavilion) in 1929 (which was destroyed and a rebuilt on the site) and the Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, completed in 1930, cemented Mies’ status as a revolutionary designer, and established many of his central design tenets.
Mies van der Rohe’s design philosophy can be summed up in the two sayings that are most attributed to him: “less is more" and "God is in the details”. He believed in eschewing ornament, and allowing the minimal framework of the building to speak structural order. He also believed in showcasing the openness of free-flowing space, and often used industrial materials mixed with large plate glass windows to achieve his results.
Seeking an opportunity to spread his architectural ideals to the rest of the world, Mies brought his ideas to the United States, where he worked tireless on what have now become famous structural examples of modernism, like the Seagram Building in New York City, finished in 1958.
Also spreading his ideas to the realm of furniture design, he created many notable and recognizable pieces, the most popular being the Barcelona chairs and stool, which can be seen in most hotel lobbies in large cities. In the last years of his life he spent much of his time educating and inspiring a whole new generation of designers, and his ideas and theories live on today in this generation’s architecture.
Born in 1886 in Germany, Mies (as he was known by his colleagues), began his career defined with design aesthetics. Starting out working in his father's stone-carving shop, he also worked alongside talented designers at local design firms in his hometown. After gaining a love and appreciation of design, Mies moved to Berlin and began work with the interior design firm run by designer Bruno Paul. Realizing that he preferred architecture to interior design, he began seriously considering the profession by interning at the studio of famed architect Peter Behrens, from 1908 to 1912. It was here that he discovered all the progressive and innovative design theories that were characterizing Germany’s design world at the time. He also met and collaborated with two other architects who would go on to define modernism, Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier.
World War I brought many changes to the design world, ushering in a new, international style that favored simplicity and dismissed ornament. Mies worked on many experimental projects during this time, two of which would go on to be his most famous. The German Pavilion for the Barcelona exposition (also known as simply the Barcelona Pavilion) in 1929 (which was destroyed and a rebuilt on the site) and the Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, completed in 1930, cemented Mies’ status as a revolutionary designer, and established many of his central design tenets.
Mies van der Rohe’s design philosophy can be summed up in the two sayings that are most attributed to him: “less is more" and "God is in the details”. He believed in eschewing ornament, and allowing the minimal framework of the building to speak structural order. He also believed in showcasing the openness of free-flowing space, and often used industrial materials mixed with large plate glass windows to achieve his results.
Seeking an opportunity to spread his architectural ideals to the rest of the world, Mies brought his ideas to the United States, where he worked tireless on what have now become famous structural examples of modernism, like the Seagram Building in New York City, finished in 1958.
Also spreading his ideas to the realm of furniture design, he created many notable and recognizable pieces, the most popular being the Barcelona chairs and stool, which can be seen in most hotel lobbies in large cities. In the last years of his life he spent much of his time educating and inspiring a whole new generation of designers, and his ideas and theories live on today in this generation’s architecture. 
