Architectural Influence in the Kitchen: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

“The essentials for living are floor and roof. Everything else is proportion and nature."

- Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is one of the most significant designers of American skyscrapers. Originally from Germany, Mies exploded his career in the US, where he significantly changed the American architectural landscape during the rebuilding following World War II. He is best known for the Seagram Building in New York and 860-880 Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, in which he transformed the common steel frame into expressions of module, proportion and detail. Yet before designing these magnificent buildings, in 1947, Mies first designed and constructed a one-room country retreat for a client, Dr. Edith Farnsworth, on the Fox River in Rural Illinois. 

As a modernist, Mies connected the urban world with the natural. He used a simple rectangular room of 1,584 square feet to create the Farnsworth home. Floor to ceiling, all-glass walls gives the inhabitant the feeling of being a part of nature while still within the home. Dividing the space into four zones, rather than rooms, is a 13-by-25-foot Primavera wood core that houses two bathrooms and an interior maintenance closet. Along one side of this core is a wood-panelled fireplace and open seating, suggesting a living area. On the opposite side of this Primavera core is a narrow stainless-steel kitchen galley.

The minimalist design of the kitchen was years ahead of its time, and continues to influence the modern kitchen design today. Using ample cabinetry, Mies kept kitchen tools out of sight and organized. The long white galley style kitchen houses all of needed appliances in a concise, uniform manner. Shallow drawer pulls on the bottom half and no handles on the upper cabinetry keep the chef's work zone unobstructed. The stainless steel industrial countertop blends seamlessly into the sink and cooktop allowing for an extremely clean look, and additionally allowing more open counter space. Mies even purposely placed a couple of simple chairs partially obstructing the galley walkway, insinuating that the chef or perhaps a guest might want to relax in the kitchen while preparing food. Modern houses such as this Portage Bay floating house outside of Seattle, WA credit its design in part to the Farnsworth House, using a central core to hold the kitchen, bathroom and closets and to naturally divide the main living space from the bedroom, while maintaing large glass exterior walls.

The Farnsworth House today is an iconic masterpiece of "International Style of architecture" and was even designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Architecture students come from around the country and world to study the modern design of this single home, including its minimalist kitchen design.