Timeless Style, Iconic Designer, and the Cantilever Controversy!! Yes, you read that right!! LOL… This is an iconic set of 8 vintage Italian Bauhaus beautiful black leather and chrome tube frame cantilever chairs attributed to Mart Stam. Epoch designer Mart Stam introduced the first cantilever chair in 1926 but ours are the Late 20th Century version of this design. They are ergonomically pleasing and comprised of gorgeous chrome tube frames, deep black leather seats, backs, and armrests adding an additional pinch of luxurious comfort. So, you can hardly talk about Bauhaus style OR iconic chair designs without including historic, exemplary names such as Mart Stam, Marcel Bruer, and Mies Van der Rohe. I mean, it’s hard… if not impossible to pick a favorite… BUT there’s a fun yet controversial story behind one of the most pivotal designs of all time… the cantilever chair… and WHO of these three icons actually designed it first!! Does it all come down to a design created for a pregnant Mrs. Stam? You decide… The story goes, as Mart Stam and Mies Van der Rohe were preparing for an exhibition in Stuttgart, Mart Stam presents his design idea to Mies Van der Rohe by grabbing a wedding invitation of Wille Baumeister off the desk, flipping it over, and sketching the drawing of a chair idea he has created for his then pregnant wife. He had created the design without the back legs, but it was not yet flexible. Mies Van der Rohe already had an extremely similar design style with his S 533 (MR 10) armchair AND one year later, Marcel Bruer presented his S 32 cantilever style chair! And… the battle BEGINS!! But let’s just take a breath and clear the air… Gentlemen…Relax… There is plenty of room in this Bauhaus furniture world for ALL of your phenomenal chair designs!! But… OH, THE CONTRAVERSY!!! Well, at the end of the day Mart Stam was awarded the authorship of the cantilever chair by the German Court. And, while we love them ALL, you have to admit… there is something unmatchable with this genre of chair design. It’s no wonder they are so sought after even today. This is a sturdy streamlined chair with timeless style that will blend in beautifully with Art Deco, mid-century modern, Industrial, minimalist, or maximalist styles. They will be fabulous surrounding your dining table, an office conference table, in a waiting room, used as accent chairs in your living or family room, or just extra seating in any room you choose! And if you need a table to complement these magnificent chairs, we have several listed here for sale that would be wonderful! Check them out!!
Mart Stam was born in 1899 and entered the world of architecture at the age of 21 and by the age of 27 he became a well-known Dutch architect and famous furniture designer. Some of his work includes contributions to May Brigade, which is a group of famed architects in charge of designing Stalinist cities in the former Soviet Union and he was involved in several reconstruction projects in Germany. Because of his work including furniture design at the Bauhaus, Weissenhof Stellung, and at the Weissenhof Estate, his name became popular practically overnight. However, he was most famous for his Mart Stam cantilever chair which was introduced in 1926 and became extremely famed, and his acclaimed reputation exploded instantaneously. He influenced designs by Ellen Gray, Mies Van der Rohe, and Marcel Bruer, to name a few. His design style is classified as New Objectivity which was an art movement formed in Germany during the depression in 1920 as a counter movement and form of expressionism. Mart Stam passed away in 1986.
What an incredible set of 8 Bauhaus style black leather & chrome tube cantilever chairs attributed to Mart Stam… There’s absolutely NO controversy that you need them! You DO!! Make them YOURS!!
