Hi! Hello! Welcome!
My name is Tara. I'm an interior designer and it's a subject that I really like talking about. In my last video, which was my first video on this channel, we discussed how to develop your personal design style. And I mentioned the value in learning about the history of interior design.
So in this video, we're gonna do a bit of a deep dive into one of the most important design movements. the Bauhaus. Now I'm sure many of you are already familiar with the Bauhaus and even if you're not you're probably going to recognize some of their iconic pieces.
We're going to talk about the history of the movement, the influence that it's had on design and architecture, and how you can incorporate elements of this style into your home. So let's get started. The Bauhaus was a school founded in 1919 in Germany by architect Walter Gropius with the goal of bringing together art and industrial design. The school fostered a spirit of collaboration, community, and shared purpose. Rather than focusing on fine art like painting and sculpture, the Bauhaus also included architecture, interior design, woodwork, textiles, graphic design, and typography, practices that had been considered more practical than artistic.
There was a belief that modern building practices had resulted in a lack of soulfulness, something the Bauhaus aimed to change with a renewed focus on craft and workmanship. There was, however, still an understanding of the importance of designing for mass production, as was reflected in the school slogan, Art into Industry. The Bauhaus curriculum placed a focus on functionalism, a concept that would be heavily influential on design and architecture moving forward.
Some of the many well-known artists, architects, and designers involved in the Bauhaus include Paul Klee, Vasily Kandinsky, Joseph and Annie Albers, Marcel Brewer, and Mies van der Rohe. Bauhaus interiors were clean, simple, and open. and while the use of glass, metal, and concrete may feel cold and sterile to some, the Bauhaus was an interdisciplinary school, so the art and textiles that were created there helped to bring warmth and soul to these spaces.
Some key elements of the Bauhaus style include steel frame construction, glass curtain walls and expansive banks of windows, rounded corners and walls, flat roofs, lightweight furniture that was easy to mass produce, use of metal in furniture, especially chrome tubing, simplified forms in geometric shapes, and minimalism and the absence of ornamentation. The Bauhaus would close in 1933 under political pressure of the Nazi regime, and World War II would lead to many of those involved in the Bauhaus relocating to the United States. where they would be of great influence on the future of American architecture and design.
In fact, even after it closed, the philosophies and design principles of the Bauhaus would continue to be taught in many parts of the world. Some of the iconic pieces designed at the Bauhaus that you may recognize include Marcel Brewer's Vasily and Cheska chairs, Mies van der Rohe's cantilever chair S533, Max Bill's Ohm stool, the textiles of Annie Albers, and this tea infuser by Marianne Brandt. Bauhaus architecture was a precursor to the mid-century modern style, and you can see its influence in the clean lines, minimal ornamentation, and functionality of architecture of that era.
I'm such a huge fan of the Bauhaus. It is really incredible to me that these designs, created a hundred years ago, still feel so relevant and modern today and they blend so seamlessly into contemporary design. So let's talk about that.
Let's talk about how to incorporate elements of the Bauhaus style into our modern day interiors. As we've established, the Bauhaus style is very simple and minimal. There's very little in the way of ornamentation.
So of course it blends very well into contemporary minimalist interiors. In fact, it's often the inspiration behind these designs. When it comes to materials, there was always authenticity to the way materials were used or what was referred to as truth to materials. Whether it be steel, glass, or concrete, there was little modification from the natural state of these materials.
Consider ways you can incorporate these materials into your space. Maybe it's an exposed concrete post, a glass partition, or some curved metal tubing. If you look to the Bauhaus for inspiration for your color scheme, you're going to find it was a lot of neutral interiors of black, white, and gray.
The use of bold or hues was typically limited to primary colors, and while that may sometimes have taken the form of a painted wall, it was often more limited to art and textiles. A great way to incorporate the Bauhaus aesthetic is through the use of furniture. I really love when Bauhaus pieces are mixed with other design styles in an unexpected way, especially the chairs.
It's really no surprise we so often see iconic Bauhaus chairs used in interiors today. They're beautiful and timeless and work so well in a variety of spaces. Now as far as sourcing Bauhaus pieces, this can be a bit of a controversial topic. The originals are highly coveted, very rare, and very expensive. There are the licensed reproductions but those can also be out of budget for many of us.
Then of course there are the unlicensed reproductions, the copies, of which there are many. And while this is certainly the most affordable way to get this look, it's also the least ethical. So my recommendation if you choose to go this route is to look at the second-hand market.
It's not at all uncommon to spot Bauhaus-inspired pieces on Facebook Marketplace at very reasonable price points. Well thank you so much for joining me for this video. If you weren't already a fan of the Bauhaus, I hope that this has inspired you to try to incorporate some elements of this iconic style into your home. I hope to do more videos in the future about other important design movements so please subscribe and stay tuned for those.
And if there are any particular design eras or styles that you're interested in seeing a video about, leave me a comment. Thanks again for being here. I hope we'll see you at the next one. Bye for now.