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.
James de Wulf Concrete Rolling Ping Pong Table - Standard Colors
Located in Paia, HI
James de Wulf's latest Rolling Ping Pong table boasts a stylish game with a slick, finished concrete playing surface atop a powder coated steel base....
Concrete, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Tyler Hayes for BDDW Ping Pong Table in Cherry Wood
By Tyler Hays, BDDW
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Ping Pong Table, designed by Tyler Hayes for BDDW. This example was produced in the United States in the 2010s. The table is comprised of cherry wood, a leather net, and fe...
Bronze
Louis XVI Style Travertine Top Dining Table or Game Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Elegant French Louis XVI style square dining table or game table featuring an Italian travertine top. The square stone top measures nearly 1 inch thick and is supported by a carved beech base with neoclassical style rosettes on the corners. The table has reeded edges and a lovely cerused or glazed finish that beautifully accents the travertine. The long slender legs are reeded and end with toupie feet. Perfect as a Mah Jong table...
Travertine
Rosa Portogallo 12-Seat Ping Pong Dining Table MADE by Moniomi
Located in Miami, FL
A playful and graphic layering of marble patterns utmost depicts the ALTIS aesthetics. Hues of blushes and burgandys are reflected amidst the marbles, leathers and metals that compri...
Marble, Brass
$22,000 / item
H 30 in W 108 in D 60 in
Lungolinea Black, Contemporary Design Table Tennis/ Ping Pong Table by Impatia
By IMPATIA
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
About Impatia: At Impatia each creation is a tale of excellence, driven by the core value of empathy. The human-to-human approach creates a journey of exploration, which is highlighted by technical development, high-quality materials and incomparable aesthetic refinement. The development of each product is full of interpretation from the first glance, becoming a representation of a lifestyle and an instantly recognizable identity, that pushes to reinvent the classics. About the Lungolinea collection: The idea of playing on a transparent game table may seem unimaginable, but thanks to careful engineering, it is now possible. Even for the most competitive professional players, a game of table tennis can now be enjoyed on a table made of complete glass. Price does not include VAT, shipping, and assembly. Product information: Case in low-iron glass, wooden legs Chrome components Alcantara net Accessories 1 Table tennis net...
Chrome
$8,492 / item
H 29.93 in W 60.04 in D 107.88 in
You and Me Indoor Ping Pong Table by RS Barcelona in Oak Wood & White
By RS Barcelona, Antoni Pallejà Office
Located in Rhinebeck, NY
You and Me Indoor Ping Pong Table by Antoni Pallejà Office. You and Me is a ping pong table. It is slightly smaller measures than the tournament ones, with a surface and a design th...
Stainless Steel
$24,057
H 33.86 in W 90.16 in D 43.31 in
Modern Design Billiard Snooker Pool Ping-Pong Dining Table in Black White & Blue
Located in Coimbra, PT
Dining table, billiard, snooker pool table and ping-pong table with a modern design. A fine quality adjustable mahogany dining snooker, billiard, pool table. The billiard dining table...
Fabric, Rosewood
$14,572Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 41.34 in W 107.88 in D 59.85 in
Keppel Ping Pong Table Walnut Wood Leather Handmade in Portugal by Wood Tailors
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
George Keppel, 6th Earl of Albemarle, was a prominent British diplomat and military officer during the 19th century. He hailed from an aristocratic family and inherited the title of ...
Stainless Steel
$32,500 / item
H 47.25 in W 59.06 in D 31.5 in
"Deceptor" Ping Pong Table Tennis Powder-Coated in Black
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Deceptor: The Deceptor is a complete ping pong set (a full size ping pong table and two multi-faceted paddles) that completely reinvents the game. Created in robust stainless steel, the Deceptor facilitates outdoor play. The faceted paddles, like stealth fighters, enable the player to execute trick shots while the custom ping pong...
Stainless Steel
$18,043
H 33.86 in W 90.16 in D 43.31 in
Modern Design Dining Table Billiard Snooker Pool Ping-Pong Table in White & Red
Located in Coimbra, PT
Dining table, billiard, snooker pool table and ping-pong table with a modern design. A fine quality adjustable dining snooker, billiard, pool table. The billiard dining table comes ...
Fabric, Rosewood
Mahogany Dining Table
Located in Bronx, NY
Mahogany
$23,000 / item
H 30 in W 108 in D 60 in
Lungolinea Wood, Contemporary Design Table Tennis/ Ping Pong Table by Impatia
By IMPATIA
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
About Impatia: At Impatia each creation is a tale of excellence, driven by the core value of empathy. The human-to-human approach creates a journey of exploration, which is highlighted by technical development, high-quality materials and incomparable aesthetic refinement. The development of each product is full of interpretation from the first glance, becoming a representation of a lifestyle and an instantly recognizable identity, that pushes to reinvent the classics. About the Lungolinea collection: The idea of playing on a transparent game table may seem unimaginable, but thanks to careful engineering, it is now possible. Even for the most competitive professional players, a game of table tennis can now be enjoyed on a table made of complete glass. Price does not include VAT, shipping, and assembly. Product information: Case in low-iron glass, wooden legs Chrome plated components Alcantara® net Accessories 1 Table tennis net...
Chrome
"Deceptor" Ping Pong Table Tennis Powder-Coated in Black
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Deceptor: The Deceptor is a complete ping pong set (a full size ping pong table and two multi-faceted paddles) that completely reinvents the game. Created in robust stainless steel, the Deceptor facilitates outdoor play. The faceted paddles, like stealth fighters, enable the player to execute trick shots while the custom ping pong...
Stainless Steel
Sold
H 21.66 in W 26.38 in D 26.38 in
Game Table with Bauhaus Chess Set by Josef Hartwig, Germany, 1924
By Josef Hartwig
Located in Antwerp, BE
Chess Table; Game Table; Bauhaus; Josef Hartwig; Germany; Schachspiel; 1920s; Chessboard; Minimalist; Bauhaus game table with chess set designed by Josef Hartwig in 1924. This chess table features a beautifully crafted wooden board with inlaid tiles and is a tribute to the iconic minimalist design of the 1924 Bauhaus Schachspiel. The board's wooden construction provides a sturdy and durable playing surface, while the inlaid tiles make it easy to distinguish between different squares on the board. The warm wooden tones and geometric forms of the chess pieces create a visually striking contrast that enhances the overall aesthetic appeal of the set. The table's chrome leg adds a modern touch to the classic design. This chess table is not just a game set; it's a functional work of art that adds an elegant and timeless touch to any space. Josef Hartwig (1880-1956) was a German sculptor and designer who was a key figure in the Bauhaus movement. Hartwig emphasized the importance of functional design and the relationship between form and function in everyday objects. He is best known for his minimalist and functional design of the Bauhaus chess set.
Stone, Chrome
Bauhaus tubular steel games table by Jindřich Halabala
By Jindřich Halabala, Up Závody
Located in PRAHA 5, CZ
Designed by famous Czech architect Jindřich Halabala for UP Závody Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1930's. Games or side table in an excellent original condition with beautiful patina. Exper...
Steel, Nickel