The History and Inspiration of Bauhaus
Derived from the German words ‘Bau’ (meaning ‘building’) and Haus (meaning ‘house’), the Bauhaus School was the beginning of a fraternity of designers who demonstrated a strong passion for building a new way of experiencing our surroundings.
The Bauhaus was founded on the concept of reinvention. The Renaissance cemented a strong hierarchy of the arts, with painting and sculpture maintaining a higher status than the more practical arts of architecture, woodwork, and interior design. The Bauhaus mentality was to take the inspiration and intellectual principles of the design subject and challenge the pre-existing hierarchy. This challenge reinvigorated subsequent approaches to art and design, and the Bauhaus methodology stands at the unique intersection of utility, aesthetic, and reimagination.
The German architect Walter Gropius (1883-1969), founded the Bauhaus in 1919, in the German city of Weimar. The Bauhaus school soon became the exemplar of the design principle of minimalism and simplicity. This propelled the design of the 20th century, and the members of Bauhaus are seen as designing some of the most iconic furniture of the 20th century. The educational approach of the Bauhaus teachers was more focused on a communal and collaborative relationship, rather than the typical pupil-teacher relationship.
“Limitation makes the creative mind inventive”
Walter Gropius
Members were known for championing their own respective disciplines. For example, Marcel Breuer led the cabinetmaking workshop, which soon became one of the most popular curriculums at the Bauhaus. This workshop became the reinvention of the fundamental theories of furniture, with the wild imaginings leading to the experimenting of building materials and design features. Breuer’s ‘Wassily Chair’ design (from 1925-1926) has withstood the test of time and is still a ubiquitous piece in many settings.
During World War II, many of the designers from the Bauhaus fled to the United States, where they continued their teaching and craftsmanship at renowned institutions, including Harvard, Yale and Illinois Institute of Technology. Moholy-Nagy even went on to establish the New Bauhaus school in Chicago in the late 1930’s. The influence of the Bauhaus alumni ignited a strong demand amongst everyday consumers; a demand which propelled the notoriety of the Bauhaus ethos.
While these designers also pursued aesthetic quality, there was also an equal pursuit for accessibility; believing that such products could be available and used by the public. Thus, the reimagining of furniture entailed the drive to make each design a direct solution to the needs of the user. While such pursuits were somewhat incompatible with the processes of it’s time, the Bauhaus ethos has stood the test of time, and is still capturing the hearts of artists, furniture builders and designers alike.
“Structure is not just a means to a solution. It is also a principle and a passion.”
Marcel Breuer
The designers from the school endeavoured to reduce conventional designs down to the most basic and fundamental elements, resulting in the typical house furniture resembling a geometric shape more than a furniture piece.
The influence of the Bauhaus movement is evident in Ross Thompson Furniture’s product range. Each piece of furniture encapsulates a return to the fundamentals of the everyday use of furniture while expressing this in such a way, so as to harmonise the quotidian needs of the user with a complimentary aesthetic.
