19 Pieces of Home Decor That Perfectly Distill the Spirit of the Bauhaus

19 Pieces of Home Decor That Perfectly Distill the Spirit of the Bauhaus

In a fleeting 14-year period between the two world wars, Germany’s Bauhaus school of art and design changed the aesthetics of modernity.

Its leaders elevated functional crafts to the level of fine art. With utopian ideals for the future, the school developed a pioneering fusion of fine art, craftsmanship, and technology that they applied across media and practices, from film to theater, and sculpture to ceramics. Expressive colors, clean lines, and an emphasis on functionality run throughout the movements' works. Whether you're a historian, newbie, or design fanatic, these inspired home accents, furnishings, and books carry on the spirit of Bauhaus.

Alessi Bauhaus Ashtray
A clean, contemporary example of a simplified industrial process. Designed by Marianne Brandt in 1924 under the creative direction of Lazlo Moholy-Nagy at the Bauhaus Metallwerkstatt, the original Alessi Bauhaus Ashtray featured stainless steel and brass.
Bauhaus (Basic Art Series 2.0)
In a fleeting fourteen year period, sandwiched between two world wars, Germany’s Bauhaus school of art and design changed the face of modernity.
Knoll Laccio Table
Spurred by Marcel Breuer's design of a low table to accompany the Wassily Chair, the very simple, very clever multipurpose Laccio Table (1924) exhibits his rationalist aesthetic and accomplished technique. The construction is extremely stable, with materials of exceptional quality.
1000 Chairs: Revised and Updated Edition
More than any other piece of furniture, the chair has been subjected to the wildest dreams of the designers. The particular curve of a backrest, or the twist of a leg, the angle of a seat or the color of the entire artifact all reflect the stylistic consciousness of each era.
Wilhelm Wagenfeld Table Lamp
Wilhelm Wagenfeld was 24 years old when he was admitted as a journeyman to the Bauhaus, where he designed the Wagenfeld Table Lamp (1924), which later came to be known as the Bauhaus Lamp.
Afteroom Story Bookcase
Book storage is difficult in small spaces. With a small footprint, and discreet frame, Story Bookcase was designed to make the most of your space and show off books and other collectibles. “We simply want to create things people won’t get rid of,” says Story designer Chen-Yen.
Chemex Ten-Cup Glass Handle
Inspired by the Bauhaus and generic lab equipment, the Chemex coffee maker is made from a single piece of borosilicate glass. Essentially unchanged since its invention, the piece, produced today in Massachusetts, is part of the permanent collection at MoMA. Photo courtesy of Chemex
Knoll Wassily Chair
Some designs never age, and the Wassily Chair by Knoll is the perfect case study in this brand of timelessness. Framed in tubular steel, it's a characteristic creation of designer Marcel Breuer, who became intrigued with this material after purchasing his first bicycle.
Gubi Cobra Table Lamp
Winner of the Good Design Award 1950. Grossman was highly influenced by European Modernism, which had been imported to the US by influential architects, such as Walter Gropius (founder of the Bauhaus) and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Knoll Barcelona Stool
Originally created for the attendants to the king and queen of Spain, the Barcelona Stool (1929) by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe continues to endure as an icon of modernism and master craft.
Vitra Color Block Throw
Material research primarily determines all of Hella Jongerius’ designs.
Breuer
The most comprehensive book on architect and designer Marcel Breuer (1902-1981), looking in detail at all the houses, furniture, and public buildings he designed In Europe and the United States–from his beginning at the Bauhaus through his collaboration with Walter Gropius, and the establishment of...
Junghans Max Bill Table Clock
The Junghans Max Bill series displays the iconic designer’s signature style: minimalist and clear forms alongside perfectly balanced elements. Joining the wrist watch collection, the Junghans Max Bill Table Clock Quartz features the same Bauhaus-style aesthetic of the series.
Naef Spiele Bauhaus Building Game
Be ahead of the time...  Already in 1924 Alma Siedhoff-Buscher designed during her apprenticeship as legendary Bauhaus of this Building Game as part of a children's room in the model house „Am Horn“ in Weimar.
Design Letters Arne Jacobsen Vase 0-9, Large
The products by Design Letters are decorated with the letters originally created in 1937 by the world renowned Danish architect Arne Jacobsen for Aarhus City Hall. This Bauhaus inspired typography is still modern and fresh.
Gubi Bestlite BL1 Table Lamp
The Bestlite Collection has been in continuous production since 1930. Robert Dudley Best (1892 - 1984) was fascinated by the Bauhaus movement's lean design and revolutionary demands for a new era free from superfluous decoration. It was in this spirit that he designed the Bestlite Collection.
Knoll Barcelona Chair
When Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was chosen to create the furnishings for the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona, he designed an iconic chair that many may not realize was born with royal roots.
The ABC's of Triangle, Square, Circle: The Bauhaus and Design Theory
First published in 1991, this book collects a series of essays about the legendary Bauhaus school founded in Dessau, Germany. The compiled texts discuss topics ranging from psychoanalysis to geometry, early childhood education, and popular culture.
Knoll Cesca Chair
Three years after designing his iconic Wassily Chair, which is believed to be the first bent tubular steel chair design, Marcel Breuer created the Cesca Chair (1928).

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Related Reading:

Boundless Bauhaus: Its Origins and 7 Definitive Works You Need to Know

A New Home for More Than 49,000 Bauhaus Works Opens in Dessau

100 Years of Bauhaus: What You Should Know About This Milestone Movement

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