You may have come across the famous Barcelona Chair, a simplistic piece of furniture that has been formed using a ground steel frame and hand-welted leather cushion. It is noticeably common to see this decor in the reception area of an investment company’s office, contributing to the rich atmosphere. This piece of furniture is in fact a 20th-century design icon co-designed by designer Lilly Reich and architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies is well-known for being the last director of The Bauhaus school in Germany during the 1930s. Since then he has become the main creative figure at Bauhaus inspired institutes in North America and Europe.
As 2019 commemorates the centenary of Bauhaus, we take a look at the legacy of this institute, how it was formed, the development of this story over time and how it has helped in shaping not only design and cultural scenes but also the world we live in today.
“We can’t get The Bauhaus out of our bodies or out of our thoughts.”
“Whenever you open your cell phone, you put on some clothes, you go out the door, whenever you read the typography… almost everything you see is Bauhaus shaped and packaged.”
Today, Bauhaus is considered the birthplace of Modernism and is often categorised as a model for sleek, functional design. As architecture critic Mark Wigley claims “almost everything you see is Bauhaus shaped and packaged.” Examples of this influence can be experienced in many areas of our lives from our futuristic mobile devices, to the use of the Futura font in the logos of several international fashion houses including Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and Omega, and also the geometric metal tea infusers that have become a prototype of modern kitchen design. Many of these have direct or indirect influences from the institute, so it is only fair to say that we do live in a world that has been shaped by Bauhaus ever since it was established.
