Technology becomes furniture; a striking invention becomes an elegant interior design object. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was the first to provide the cantilever chair with aesthetic lightness and to relate it to its environment with curved lines. In the run-up to the Weissenhof Estate exhibition, which he organised, Mies van der Rohe became familiar with the principle of the cantilever chair thanks to Mart Stam. As new as this approach may have been, Mies van der Rohe was not impressed with its first implementation by Stam. He immediately answered the technological innovation with his own aesthetic solution, which he was able to present in 1927. The S 533 is one of the first cantilever chairs, and it defines the surrounding environment with its large, elegantly curved circular tubular steel form. The S 533 is characterized by an intentional restriction of materials used, the elegance of lines and the transparency in its effect. It owes its exceptional comfort to its ability to constantly adjust to positions through flexing. While most designs from the early 1920s underscore functional aspects with an emphasis on simplicity, this armchair carries a sense of the architect’s signature: Mies van der Rohe’s intentionally luxurious design combines functionality, comfort and timeless aesthetics. The S 533 represents a changed perception of quality.
