The Bauhaus was a progressive German art and design school founded by the architect Walter Gropius that operated from 1919 to 1933. Authentic Bauhaus furniture — sofas, dining chairs, tables and more — and the school’s followers married industrial and natural materials in simple, geometric forms. The goal of the Bauhaus was to erase the distinction between art and craft while embracing the use of new technologies and materials.
ORIGINS OF BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGN
BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGNERS YOU SHOULD KNOW
AUTHENTIC BAUHAUS FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The name Bauhaus is derived from the German verb bauen, “to build.” Under the school’s innovative curriculum, students were taught the fine arts, such as painting and sculpture, as well as practical skills like carpentry and metalworking.
The school moved from Weimar in 1925 to the city of Dessau, where it enjoyed its heyday under Gropius, then Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The period from 1932 to 1933 when it operated in Berlin under Mies was its final chapter. Despite its brief existence, the Bauhaus has had an enduring impact on art and design in the United States and elsewhere, and is regarded by many as the 20th century’s chief crucible of modernism.
The faculty roster at the Bauhaus reads like a who’s who of modernist creative genius — it included such artists as Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and László Moholy-Nagy along with architects and designers like Mies and Marcel Breuer, who became known for his muscular brutalist-style concrete buildings in the postwar years. In 1925, while he was head of the Bauhaus carpentry workshop, Breuer gave form to his signature innovation: the use of lightweight tubular-steel frames for chairs, side tables and sofas — a technique soon adopted by Mies and others. Breuer’s Cesca chair was the first-ever tubular steel frame chair with a caned seat to be mass produced, while the inspiration for his legendary Wassily chair, a timeless design and part of the collection crafted to furnish the Dessau school, was the bike he rode around campus.
Bauhaus design style reflects the tenets by which these creators worked: simplicity, clarity and function. They disdained superfluous ornament in favor of precise construction. Seating pieces such as side chairs, armchairs or club chairs for example, were made with tubular metal or molded plywood frames, and upholstery was made from leather or cane. Above all, designs in the Bauhaus style offer aesthetic flexibility. They can be the elements of a wholly spare, minimalist space, the quiet foundation of an environment in which color and pattern come from one’s own collection of art and artifacts.
Today, from textiles to typefaces, architecture, furniture and decorative objects for the home, Bauhaus creations continue to have an outsize influence on modern design.
Find a collection of authentic Bauhaus furniture on 1stDibs.
Restored Bauhaus Sofa by Robert Slezak, High-Quality Leather, Chrome, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Fully Restored Bauhaus Sofa with Chrome Tubular Steel Frame by Robert Slezak. Maker: Robert Slezak Source: Czechia (Czechoslovakia) Period: 1930-1...
Chrome
MW02 sofa in Bauhaus style With altuglass panels designed by Olivier Santini.
Located in Beaumont-Louestault, FR
Transforming furniture design into true art, the MW02 sofa enhances any space it inhabits. Available with glass panels for indoor use or ultra-resistant PMMA (altuglass) panels for b...
Stainless Steel
Le Corbusier LC2 Vintage White Leather Sofa by Cassina
By Le Corbusier, Cassina
Located in Munich, Bavaria
This LC2 three-seat sofa in white leather was designed by Le Corbusier and produced by Cassina. It features a black colored tubular steel frame. The leather has some patina. Some...
Leather, Upholstery, Lacquer
Original Hans Kaufeld Sofa RH 302 Robert Haussmann Bauhaus Couch
By Robert Haussmann, Hans Kaufeld
Located in Berlin, DE
Wir bieten ein wunderschönes und äußerst seltenes Dreisitzersofa von Hans Kaufeld aus den 1960er Jahren zum Verkauf an. Das Design (Modell: RH 302) stammt von Robert Haussmann und wu...
Steel, Chrome
Robert Haussmann for Hans Kaufeld or De Sede RH 302 Leather Sofa First Edition
By Robert Haussmann, De Sede, Hans Kaufeld
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Robert Haussmann RH 302 3-seat sofa manufactured by Hans Kaufeld. This sofa is the first early production for Hans Kaufeld. Later it was manu...
Chrome
Le Corbusier 2 Seater LC2 Vintage White Leather Sofa by Cassina
By Le Corbusier, Cassina
Located in Munich, Bavaria
This LC2 two seater sofa in white leather was designed by Le Corbusier and produced by Cassina. It features a black colored tubular steel frame. The leather has some patina. Some...
Leather, Upholstery, Lacquer
Restored Bauhaus Sofa, by Robert Slezak, Chrome, Quality Fabric, Czech, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This elegant sofa from the early 20th century originates from the renowned Slezákovy závody workshop. Its frame is crafted from tubular chrome steel, which has been professionally cl...
Steel, Chrome
Restored Bauhaus Sofa, by Mücke-Melder, Chrome, New Upholstery, Czech, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Made by Mücke Melder, an influential modernist furniture manufacturer specializing in tubular steel designs. Our professional refurbishing team in Czechia has fully restored it acc...
Chrome, Steel
Restored Bauhaus Sofa, by R. Slezák, Chrome, High-Quality Leather, Czech, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Made by Slezak Factories, a unique Czech furniture brand specialising on chrome and bent metal furniture. According to the original process, our professional refurbishing team in Cz...
Chrome, Steel
Design-Klassiker Brühl Moule in Schwarz, Metallgestell, guter Zustand
By Brühl
Located in Garching a. d. Alz, DE
Hersteller & Design Marke: Brühl Modell: Moule (2-Sitzer) Designer: Addy W. H., 1995 Herkunft: Deutschland Beschreibung Dieses Brühl Moule 2-Sitzer Sofa in tiefschwarzem Leder v...
Metal
Fully Restored Blue Bauhaus Chrome Sofa, 1930s Czechia
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus style sofa with chrome tubular steel frame. Manufactured in the 1930s. Chrome tubular steel is in perfect original condition. New upholstery...
Chrome
Bauhaus Ivory Tubular Chrom Sofa, Mücke-Melder, 1930s, High Quality Leather
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus style sofa with a chrome tubular steel frame. Manufactured by Mücke-Melder in the 1930s. Chrome tubular steel is in perfect original condition. Newlly upholstered to high ...
Chrome
Restored Bauhaus Sofa, by Robert Slezak, Chrome, Leather, Czech, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This elegant sofa, crafted by Slezákovy závody, represents the iconic Bauhaus design. The structure, made of chrome-plated steel, has been professionally cleaned and fitted with new ...
Steel, Chrome
Bauhaus Red Tubular Chromed Steel Sofa by Robert Slezák, Design by Thonet, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus style sofa with a lacquered wood and chrome tubular steel frame. Manufactured by Robert Slezák in the 1930s. Chrome tubular steel is in perfect original condition. Upholst...
Chrome
Fully Restored Bauhaus Leather and Chrome Sofa by Vichr a Spol, 1930s Czechia
By Vichr & Spol
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus style sofa with chrome tubular steel frame. Manufactured by Vichr a Spol in the 1930s. Chrome tubular steel is in perfect original condition. Upholstered to high quality l...
Chrome
Robert Haussmann De Sede Rh 302 Sofa and Armchair Black
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Robert Haussmann RH 302 2-seat sofa and armchair manufactured by De Sede. The sofa and chair were reupholstered some years ago in black Kvadrat Halingdal fabri...
Chrome
Bauhaus White Tubular Chrome Sofa by Robert Slezák, Design by Thonet, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus style sofa with a lacquered wood and chrome tubular steel frame. Manufactured by Robert Slezák in the 1930s. Chrome tubular steel is in perfect original condition. Upholst...
Chrome
Czech Bauhaus Red Tubular Chrome Sofa by Hynek Gottwald, New Upholstery, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus style sofa with chrome-plated steel tubular frame. Manufactured by Hynek Gottwald in the 1930s. Chrome tubular steel is in perfect origina...
Chrome
Fully Restored Bauhaus White Leather Tubular Chrome Sofa by Robert Slezák, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus style sofa with chrome tubular steel frame. Manufactured by Robert Slezák in the 1930s. Chrome tubular steel is in perfect original condition. Upholstered to high quality ...
Chrome
Bauhaus Red Tubular Chromed Steel Sofa by Robert Slezák, Design by Thonet, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus style sofa with a lacquered wood and chrome tubular steel frame. Manufactured by Robert Slezák in the 1930s. Chrome tubular steel is in perfect original condition. Upholst...
Chrome