Lilly Reich and Mies van der Rohe: Textile Roots of Modern Architecture

Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi explores the overlooked influence of textiles on modern architecture, focusing on Lilly Reich and her collaboration with Mies van der Rohe. Reich, born in Berlin in 1885, trained at the Wiener Werkstätte under Josef Hoffmann and later became a key figure in the Werkbund. She specialized in textiles and fashion, opening a small tailoring shop during WWI. In 1922 she published an essay in Die Form advocating for clothing as functional objects. Her partnership with Mies began through the Werkbund; she became his companion, business partner, and administrator. Together they created the Café Samt und Seide (Velvet and Silk Café) for the 1927 Die Mode der Dame exhibition, featuring fabric curtains suspended from metal rails. Puglisi draws parallels between this space and Adolf Loos's 1903 bedroom for himself and his wife Lina, which featured neutral white fur and silk curtains—a rejection of Hoffmann's total design. He also notes the similarity between the marble patterns in Mies's 1929 Barcelona Pavilion and textile designs, and links the Tugendhat House in Brno (1929) to the textile wealth of the family. The article argues that textile thinking underpins Mies's masterpieces, challenging the erasure of Reich's contributions.