Solo House Catalunya, Contemporary Catalan Property, Thonet Furniture, Spanish Architecture

Solo House II near Barcelona

New Catalan Villa with Thonet chairs, modern residence in Spain – design by Office KGDVS Architects

21 Sep 2017

Architects: Kersten Geers and David Van Severen (Office KGDVS), Belgium

Location: Catalonia, Spain

Contemporary Catalan Holiday House

Solo House II – a holiday house graced with a 360-degree panorama and benchmark Thonet furniture

Solo House II

A portfolio of daring holiday home architecture in the midst of the Catalan wilderness – French real estate developer Christian Bourdais is currently realising this dream.

He is supported by twelve “New Garde” architects, commissioned to develop vacation properties that are both unique and expressive: each house is designed to be different and to question convention.

Now, the second building in the emerging “Solo Houses” series has been completed and furnished with an eclectic yet aesthetically cohesive range of Thonet chairs. Each design is distinctive yet shares the inimitable Thonet DNA: chairs 107, 209 and 214 were selected for Solo House II.

Belgian architects Kersten Geers and David Van Severen (Office KGDVS) are responsible for this recently realised project – a ring shaped building that blends with its surrounding landscape in an impressive way, becoming almost invisible.

Located on a plateau with a vast panorama, the house has neither a traditional front nor back and encircles a protected atrium with a swimming pool at its heart. Thanks to the generous glass façade, the house benefits from spectacular coastal and natural views.

The 550 m² footprint is distributed in four open plan segments: a living/dining area, a sleeping segment, a guesthouse and a pool house. In the dining area, the architects have specified a combination of Thonet wooden chairs in a chic black stain.

These are: Chair 107, for which designer Robert Stadler took his inspiration from Thonet’s iconic Vienna Coffee House Chair 214, a timeless design dating back to 1859 which also features in the Solo House selection, together with the bentwood chair 209, a favourite of Le Corbusier. These three designs work together beautifully to form a harmonious ensemble.

The chairs also function as versatile solitary pieces to be enjoyed throughout Solo House II as needed, enabling occupants to enjoy the view in both comfort and style. All three designs are characterised by a blend of elegance, solidity and lightness – properties that Solo House II by KGDVS also typifies.

OFFICE Kersten Geers David van Severen

Thonet – future-oriented furniture design with a long tradition

The unique success story of Thonet began with the work of master carpenter Michael Thonet. Since establishing his first workshop in Boppard on the River Rhine in 1819, the name Thonet has stood for high-quality, innovative and elegant furniture. The breakthrough came with the iconic chair No. 14, the so-called Vienna Coffee House Chair: the pioneering technique of bending solid beech wood for the first time enabled the mass production of chairs.

The second milestone in design history was the tubular steel furniture by the famous Bauhaus architects Mart Stam,Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer in the 1930s. At the time, Thonet was the world’s largest producer of these tubular steel furniture designs, which are considered timeless today.

For the company today, the continuous process of innovation stands in the foreground alongside a focus on tradition and fine craftsmanship. Thonet collaborates with renowned national and international designers – in addition, some of the furniture is designed by the in-house Thonet Design Team.

All of the furniture is produced in the company-owned manufacturing facility, and, following the motto “Individuality is our standard”, custom-tailored solutions are part of everyday life in Frankenberg. Chief Executive Officer Brian Boyd together with Chief Operating Officer Michael Erdelt and Creative Director Norbert Ruf manage the company at the corporate head offices and production site in Frankenberg/Eder (Germany).

The descendants of Michael Thonet, the fifth and sixth generations, are actively involved with the company’s business as partners and sales representatives.