Living in a Bauhaus

Inspired by a vision of bringing artists and craftsmen together to start a movement in art which would change the future of the world; Bauhaus was founded in 1919 in Weimar by the German architect Walter Gropius. At that period of time, Germany was bankrupt after it has had lost the World War I, in the same time, younger generations were eager to make positive changes.

Bauhaus Dessau

Gropius named the school Bauhaus, which means a building house, According to the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Bauhaus stands for “an eagerness to experiment, openness, creativity, a close link to industrial practice and inter-nationality.”

Principles of Teaching at Bauhaus

During the 14 years of existence, Bauhaus was operational in three separate locations: Weimar, Germany from 1919 – 1925, Dessau, Germany from 1925 – 1932 and Berlin, Germany from 1932 – 1933. In one way or another, every generation was influenced. The Bauhaus was considered as a radical step towards modernism.

L-R: Josef Albers, Hinnerck Scheper, Georg Muche, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer, Joost Schmidt, Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Vassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Lyonel Feininger, Gunta Stolzl and Oskar Schlemmer

The Bauhaus movement teaches “truth to materials” as primary rule which means that material should be used in its most appropriate and “honest” way. Bauhaus captured the attention of many respected artists, designers and architects such as Eileen Gray, Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, amongst others.

Bauhaus Chess Set (1922) - Josef Hartwig

Bauhaus Cradle

Bauhaus Tea Infuser (1924) - Marianne Brandt

Bauhaus Nesting Tables 

Bauhaus Lamp - William Wagenfeld

Bauhaus Door Knob - Walter Gropius

Barcelona Chair - Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe

Bauhaus Wasilly Chair - Marcel Breuer

Bauhaus was closed on the 11^th of April 1933 under the pressure of the Nazis, but the movement still influences modernist architecture and modern design today.

Bauhaus is the base of design process and education and still influence a lot of our design decisions and style. The simplicity, attention to detail and the balance between form and function is a source of inspiration which makes a lot of influence in our life.

New York's Skyline replete with hundreds of towers made from steel and glass, direct descendants of the Bauhaus school

Re is a serious Bauhaus style chair with a metal base and solid top which could be either in leather, textiles or plastics

Bouhouse is a chair inspired by the Bauhaus school of design. The design is simple yet effective, minimum of material used ans style.  

Lately I have been visiting some furniture showrooms which I found furniture that reminded me a lot of Bauhaus. In fact one particular showroom really got me through as I saw replicas of armchairs made during Bauhaus. Two of them are the Barcelona chair by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and the Grand Confort LC2 Armchair by Le Corbusier.

References:

• OMC2 Design Studios, N/A. Studio Armchair [image online] available at: http://www.omcdesign.com/index.php?m=1&s=6&b=0

• HubPages, 2014. The Bauhaus and It's Influence on Modern Design [image online] available at: http://edelhaus.hubpages.com/hub/bauhaus#

• Gizmodo, N/A. 8 Beautiful Products of Bauhaus: The Single Most Influential School of Design [image online] available at: http://gizmodo.com/5918142/8-beautiful-things-from-bauhaus-the-single-most-influential-school-of-design

• A Smashing Media Company, 2014. Bauhaus: Ninety Years of Inspiration [online]  available at: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/02/bauhaus-ninety-years-of-inspiration/

• Bauhaus, 2012. The Bauhaus Movement [online] available at: http://bauhausinteriors.com/blog/the-bauhaus-movement/

• Magic Web Solutions UK, N/A. Bauhaus [online] available at: http://www.artmovements.co.uk/bauhaus.htm

• Media Temple Professional Hosting, N/A. Bauhaus Influence [online] available at: http://abduzeedo.com/bauhaus-influence