Hello and welcome to round 2 of this Spotlight Series. I so enjoyed the feedback I had from some of you on last week’s post. I think a lot of us learned something new, and that’s always fun. Um, who I am kidding? Learning isn’t always fun! The ‘learning’ that went in to understanding the deep dark world of building insurance in order to be able to install the mural in reddit’s new office in One World Trade Center, for example, was absolutely, horrifyingly, 100%, not. fun.
But! Learning in this digestible, short-read-with-your-morning-coffee kinda way, should be fun. So let’s take a look at another significant design period as we enter week two of this new (and don’t worry, it’ll likely be brief!) Spotlight Series.
Alright, the Bauhaus movement. What a riot! Without a doubt, one of the most significant design movements there’s ever been, and undoubtedly, one of the most enduring, too. It’s influence on art, architecture, interior design, advertising, product design these past 100 years is unparalleled.
Gunta Stölzl, Design for a Runner, 1923
Bauhaus was a movement named after the art school it was born from, originally in Weimar, Germany. The Bauhaus school was one of the first art schools to house pretty much all the mainstream art disciplines under one roof. Traditionally, art schools were home to fine artists, mostly painters, and other craft-based disciplines were taught elsewhere. The Bauhaus school believed that all art specialities, such as architecture, furniture design, glasswork etc, all belonged under the ‘art’ umbrella. As such, the philosophy of the school was applied to all courses of study. This new fangled way of doing things was a hit, and bred a multidisciplinary mindset in its students and a common theme can be found throughout all the work that was collectively produced.
Although the Bauhaus School (which existed in 3 locations within Germany from 1919-1933) no longer has a physical presence, it continues to play a huge role in the way we approach design. It’s been 100 years (100 years!!) and Bauhaus still lives on.
Ok, Art History lesson over!
The focus of Bauhaus design lays in geometric shape and primary color with the red, blue and yellow color palette which became a trademark of Bauhaus design. Although Mondrian was playing with this a little earlier, the Bauhaus artists ran with it and took it to the next level. The theories that were developed at the Bauhaus school laid the groundwork for contemporary color theory. Wonder what influenced the Memphis Design Movement? Look no further!
Bauhaus was (and still is!) fantastically suited to graphic design. You’re probably familiar with exhibition posters from this time.
Herbert Bayer, Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar 1919-23, 1923
I mean, really, that could have just as easily been made today, don’t you think? In fact, there’s a current-day poster designer that I love who takes such strong influence from the Bauhaus movement, that there’s really not much to differentiate his work from the original styling… that’s how contemporary and forward thinking this design movement was. It still looks fresh today.
I don’t think many things that are 100 years old can claim they’ve achieved such status! This, for example, was what they were wearing 100 years ago, just for context.
The graphical lines and geometric shapes of Bauhaus design were particularly prolific in Architecture and furniture design. Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright is a classic (if not a little overused!) example of Bauhaus Architecture.
Marcel Breyer, who started his career designing chairs including the Wassily chair (named for his Bauhaus bud, Kandinsky) moved into architecture and designed over 100s, one of which is now (what was) The Met Breuer in New York City.
And it wouldn’t be right to go on this Bauhaus journey without mentioning Josef and Anni Albers, who win the award for being Bauhaus’ Best Known Couple (congrats!). They both began as students, became artists in their own right, and went on to head up the glasswork (Josef) and weaving (Anni) workshops at the school.
Josef Albers, Evening (an improvisation), 1935
Josef Albers, Study for Airy Center, ca. 1938
So! How can you take this and find a way to pop it in your own home? Great question! I mean, if you’re living in a Frank Lloyd Wright home (there are 3 here in NJ and one faaaabulous one by a Lloyd Wright apprentice in my town!) you’re already ticking all the boxes, so you’re all sorted. But chances are, you aren’t. So how to take influence from this design movement? I’m a fan of a little hint, a nod to it, a playful suggestion. An easy win is finding a cool poster, or a series of them even. A triptych of fun posters in a hallway, or going up the stairs would be delightful.
Or what about a statement chair?
Or lamp?
These tables are on my forever wish list
There’s plenty of reproductions out there, but it’s also fun to peruse 1st Dibs or Chairish and the like to see what you can find there. Have fun! And let me know what you find.
What else?
The 30 day dopamine dressing challenge is still in full force. Come see what I’ve been up to over on Instagram if you’re not already following along.
Color Sessions are live and kicking! See past projects here and let me know if you have any questions