Even if you don’t know what the Bauhaus movement is, you have surely come across some iconic pieces before. To tell the truth, we are surrounded by its effect every day, through minimalism and basic design principles applied to our everyday objects. If you are into clean, organized spaces, yet you want them to have a story and character, this path is the one for you to create a stylish home.
What is Bauhaus
Bauhaus is the most significant design movement of the 20th century, from before the II world war, founded by Walter Gropius in 1919. Although it only lasted until 1933, its effect is long-lasting. One of the general pursuits of the movement was to find the designers’ purpose and place in the industry. They were looking for a gateway between art, design, and production, while staying purpose and creativity-focused.
The other main goal was to find new tools for the survival of art by implementing creative ideas in a useful way in objects that surround us in our everyday life. They realized that the design process should start at understanding the problems that the specific object is supposed to solve. Instead of grandiose pieces they started to use basic shapes and forms, combined with steel, glass and leather. The principles revolve around the purpose while integrating art on a high level. Their purpose to unify the standards for mass production, creative artistic vision while combining aesthetics with everyday function makes this movement eternal.
They managed to reduce materials and unnecessary solutions to the minimum, not only to create perfect objects with purpose but also to ease production. The latter one was supposed to lead to a more democratic approach to design, affordable for most people.
Focusing all these ideas in one movement makes their work long-lasting. Let’s see what we can learn from it.
Bauhaus’ effect today
Today we live in a world that applies Bauhaus principles at all levels. They had the people and homes of the future in mind when they designed, and now we are living in them. This approach made them be well ahead of their time.
The movement lives on in the principles of function-focused minimalism. The need for simplicity has never been so accurate as in today’s fast-paced modern life.
We see its effect on our well-designed simple phones, and computers, the streamlined electric cars, in the “Basic” section of fashion labels, or even our kitchen pans. Scandinavian designs are a well-known example of todays’ Bauhaus heirs. Think of IKEA with its fairly affordable, purpose and human-focused attitude.
How to implement it in your home
If you are a Pinterest fan and you like vintage furniture and minimalism, you have surely come across Marcel Breuer designs. The most trending ones are the Cesca and Wassily chairs. These pieces and similar designs can be basic quality finds of your home with all the important messages they carry. Look for them online in vintage stores, or save up for the new ones that are still in production by Knoll.
Other famous designs are the Barcelona chair designed by Mies Van Der Rohe or the Nesting Tables by Josef Albers live on in more affordable contemporary furniture.
Get inspiration from high-end retailers and blogs like The Audo or Menu.
Sadly the iconic pieces of this era are very expensive due to their history, quality, and success, but similar to clothing, these pieces symbolize a way of thinking and approach to buyer decision. With the spread of slow fashion ideas, of purchasing long-lasting quality pieces, these statement pieces combined with just the essentials for your home is on point.
Make a list of the most important things that you need to live a comfortable life. Exclude anything unnecessary. When you have it, start combining new easily available items with vintage furniture based on what’s available on the market. Look for stylish vintage furniture by searching “mid-century” “Bauhaus” “Cesca” “Marcel Breuer” or even “metal frame” or “glass”.
Include wood and leather pieces in your combinations to give a warmer feeling to the clean spaces. Including too much metal and glass tend to create a cold, unwelcoming feeling that most people want to avoid. Popular wooden pieces could include a classy sideboard. Place a few design books, candle holders, and paintings on it to highlight its character. If you need some extra shelves, look for simple solutions that only attach to the wall without any visible support. Chairs are a good vintage choice as they are fairly affordable and always available on the market. If you can’t find more than one matching pair, combine them with another different pair. This solution is trending now and will make your life easier while giving your home a fresh feel.
Join pop-up markets and visit flea markets to find special home accessories. Visit gallery openings, or look for inspirations on Pinterest or Instagram to find your favorite artists. Create a mood board for yourself, to remember what kind of style to look for. If you are a bit worried about the empty space, add bookshelves and plants to make your home more welcoming. High-quality wool rugs have a great effect too in creating a cozy, yet minimalist home.
If the space still feels a bit empty, combine Bauhaus and minimalism, with classy, ornamental items, like an antique mirror. Always look for quality when making your decisions. Choose wood instead of veneer, leather over faux leather. If you are vegan, look for the vintage versions when it comes to leather.
Let the Bauhaus mindset drive your decisions: focus on quality, simplicity, and artistic approach. Your mood will thank you for the clean and smart spaces you created especially when working from home.