Review and Comparison Guide: Modern Classic's Exhibition Daybed
Inspired by: Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Couch
Click image to enlarge.
Our Item No: MC-1006
Base Price: $2,380
- Offered in Top grain Italian leather
- Solid Wood Frame, offered in five finishes
- Two Stainless Steel Support Bars underneath the frame
- Matching buttons and leather piping throughout
- Legs are #304 Stainless Steel, polished to mirror-like finish, offered in two lengths
- Exclusive: Powdercoating the legs, offered in 4 colors (for an extra charge)
| Overall Dimensions: | 76.5w x 37d x 15h (18h with 12" leg) |
|---|---|
| Seat Height: | 15 or 18 inches (dependng on leg choice) |
| Weight: | 98 pounds |
We wrote this review and comparison guide to help you figure out who makes the best Barcelona Style Couch. We only highlight 4 sellers of these iconic daybeds, the primary contenders if you will, and we hope this supports our belief that our version of this daybed has the best value proposition on the market.
Side-By-Side Comparison: Modern Classics vs. the Competition
| Feature | Modern Classics | Design Within Reach | Room & Board | Low-Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Price | $ 2,380 | $ 11,774 | $ 3,499 | $ 1,429 |
| Overall Dimensions | ||||
| Frame Wood/Legs | ||||
| Foam Details | ||||
| Cushion Sewing | ||||
| Upholstery Materials | ||||
| Custom Options |
Modern Classics Brand
BASE PRICE:
$2,380.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
The overall dimensions of our daybed are slightly smaller than the DWR model. By about 2" in both directions. This is a small distinction, we like to think that the Knoll Barcelona Couch is too big.
FRAME WOOD/LEGS:
Our Wood Frames are 2 x 4 inches hardwood (usually Ash) are available in 5 finish colors, all with a commercial grade lacquer finish. The legs are polished stainless steel with a plastic foot. There are two stainless steel bars under the frame for support. The legs are offered in two lengths ( 9 and 12 inches) so that the daybed can be either 15" seat height or 18" seat height. They can also be finished in one of our 8 powder coated finishes. No other manufacturer offers these options.
FOAM DETAILS:
We use luxury grade HR (High Resilient) Multi-Density Foam in our cushion construction giving our customers a very comfortable sitting experience - the most comfortable on the market! This foam is an environmentally and people safe material produced by a major world-recognized foam manufacturer. Our foam is rated by independent certified testing laboratories and tested for commercial safety grade fire and smoke standards for Europe and USA. Additionally, the foam is wrapped with Dacron polyester fiberfill for additional softness and seat comfort.
CUSHION SEWING:
Our Cushions are upholstered with 72 individual panels, which are hand-cut, hand-welted, and hand-tufted with leather buttons about the size of a U.S. dime coin. The bolster pillow has circular tufting on the ends, for a high-end look.
UPHOLSTERY MATERIALS:
We offer 20 imported Italian leather colors as standard, with the option of providing your own leather or selecting from our wide range of color and texture selection of stock European leather colors for a surcharge, as long as the color matches one of our straps.
CUSTOM OPTIONS:
We offer the extreme flexibility on this model for customizing, with modest upcharges. First, there is the upholstery material. You can provide your own fabric or leather. You can ask us to check with our leather supplier for a specific leather color. We can powder coat the legs using one of our standard colors, or your own selection.
Design Within Reach
BASE PRICE:
$10,497
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
The Knoll brand Daybed dimensions at 39 x 78 inches are the largest on the market.
FRAME WOOD/LEGS:
Their Daybed wood frame is Sapele Mahogeny which is very nice. The frame finish has only one color option and one leg length option. They do have chrome-plated bars under the frames.
FOAM DETAILS:
The say they use highly resilient urethane foam with down-like Dacron polyester fiberfill on the outside. However, their Daybed cushions have extremely high foam density, which make their cushions extra hard and not very comfortable.
CUSHION SEWING:
Their Daybed is upholstered with 72 individual panels, which are cut, hand-welted, and hand-tufted with leather buttons about the size of a dime. The bolster pillow is nicely finished with circular tufting on the ends.
UPHOLSTERY MATERIALS:
The Daybed that DWR sells only has a choice of 6 leather colors as standard, although there is the option to selects from the entire Spinneybeck leather collection for a substantial surcharge. Not offered in Fabric or in your own materials.
CUSTOM OPTIONS:
DWR offers limited flexibility on this model for customizing. You can select from a broad range of Spinneybeck Leathers, for an additional upcharge.
Room and Board
BASE PRICE:
$2,799
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
The overall dimensions on this model are slightly smaller than the DWR version.
FRAME WOOD/LEGS:
Their Daybed wood frame is thinner and wood species is weak. Legs are thinner too, and are chrome plated. There are no steel bars under the frame for support.
FOAM DETAILS:
They most likely use highly resilient urethane foam with down-like Dacron polyester fiberfill on the outside. Foam density is super low, making the cushions extra soft and not very comfortable.
CUSHION SEWING:
Their Daybed is upholstered with 72 individual panels, but use corded piping between the panels. Corded piping is a fake way to create the hand-welting, and are uncomfortable to sit on. The bolster pillow does not use a tufting technique on the ends and it looks pretty bad.
UPHOLSTERY MATERIALS:
Room and Board only offer 3 leather colors, are not offered in Fabric, custom leather or in your own materials. They cannot even give you a leather sample to take home nor can they send out leather samples.
CUSTOM OPTIONS:
This seller offers no customizing options.
Low-Market Daybeds
BASE PRICE:
$ 1,429
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
Their Daybed frame dimensions are 6 inches shorter in length and width. Not to specifications.
FRAME WOOD/LEGS:
Their Daybed wood frame is thinner and wood species is weak. Legs are thinner too, and are chrome plated. There are no steel bars under the frame for support. There is only one length option.
FOAM DETAILS:
Their Daybed uses inexpensive foam with no Dacron polyester fiberfill wrapped on the on the outside of the foam. Foam density is high, making the cushions extra hard and not very comfortable.
CUSHION SEWING:
Their Daybed is upholstered with 55 individual panels, but use corded piping between the panels. Corded piping is a fake way to create the hand-welting, and are uncomfortable to sit on. The bolster pillow does not use a circular tufting technique on the ends and it looks pretty bad.
UPHOLSTERY MATERIALS:
Their Daybed is typically offered in only 1 or 2 leather colors: black and white. Upholstery might be leather, bonded leather, or vinyl; in any case, not quality A level Italian or USA leather.
CUSTOM OPTIONS:
This seller offers no customizing options.
Product Description
Our Exhibition Daybed was inspired by the design of popular Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Couch, also known as the "Barcelona Sofa". This design was first introduced and recognized as a signature modernist furniture model in architect Phillip Johnson's New York apartment. Besides the wood finish choices and leg lengths, there are also other ways to customize our Daybe. We can powder coat the legs in one of six colors (see below), or you can provide your own material. So while there are many so called replicas or reproductions on the market, we believe our version of the Barecelona Daybed is the finest in the market.
Our Exhibition Daybed is close to the size and geometry of the original design. The wood frame is constructed from premium grade hardwood (ash) - 4" wide x 1.5" thick - with 5 finish choices. There are two stainless steel bars under the frame for support. The stainless steel legs are hand-polished to a high luster finish, are 1.5 inches in diameter and have a smooth plastic foot. There is a choice of seat height: either the standard 15" height (using 9 inch legs) or 18" seat height (using 12 inch legs).
The cushion surfaces consist of 78 individual top-grain, Italian leather panels; each piece is cut and hand-sewn using a hand-rolling welting technique not found in other versions on the market. Inside the cushion is high resilient - high density polyurethane foam. The cushion is supported by heavy saddle leather straps screwed to the frame and whose top match the leather color. The bolster pillow features tufting at each end and is attached with buckled straps. The bolster measures 8 inches in diameter by 36 inch long.
LEATHER CHOICES
Modern Classics Furniture offers two levels of Top-Grain Italian Leathers. Each of the these groupings feature:
- Top-grain Italian leather from Grade A hides
- Semi aniline-dyed (standard) and 100% aniline-dyed (premium)
- Made in Italy and imported to our factory
- Have a UV and Moisture Guard built into the dye
- Are not split hides or bonded leather
We are happy to mail you a physical piece of leather so you can hold it in your hands.
Below are the leather colors we offer for this Collection. Our Standard Leathers (denoted with the prefix L1) are top-grain, aniline-dyed, and then color corrected with a slight embossing to create a more uniform grain pattern. Our Premium leathers (denoted with the prefix L2) are also top-grain, aniline-dyed but have a soft feel to them and much of the hides natural grain patterns are retained. All our leathers are considered equally durable and are ideal for home or commercial use. To read more about leather, read our A Guide to Understanding Upholstery Leather: A Primer.
Click on any of these images for an enlarged view.
Standard Leathers (Top Grain - Textured)
Wood Stain Choices
Here are the wood finish choices are available on our Exhibition Daybed.
Click on any of these swatches to see an enlarged view.
Other Metal Frame Color Choices
Besides the standard #304 Polished Stainless Steel legs shown above, we do our own in-house powdercoating over the stainless steel legs. We offer 4 standard colors and there is a $75 extra charge for the custom leg finishing.
Click on any of these swatches to see an enlarged view.
VIEW OUR OTHER PRODUCTS INSPIRED BY THIS DESIGNER
About Modern Classics Furniture
Here at Modern Classics Furniture, we focus tightly on manufacturing and selling furniture in the niche market known as Iconic Modern Classics Furniture. Here's why we are your top choice for Modern Classic Furniture:
- We make and sell only our own products -- we do not sell other manufacturer's product, nor will you find our products elsewhere on the Internet.
- We offer a 3 year warranty
- We only make quality furniture using the best materials
- We offer wholesale and design trade prices - let us be your #1 source - sign up today!
Corporate Headquarters
1788 Midway Lane
Bellingham, WA 98226
Curt Roth, President
360-733-6400
curt@modernclassics.com
Please call us if you have any questions at our company headquarters in Bellingham Washington. Call or Email.