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.
Anni Albers Hand-Tufted Silk Rug, Bauhaus Style, Temple Emanu-El
By Anni Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
100% pure silk Measures: 5.6 x 3 feet (1.7 x .9 meters) Edition of 150 Produced in association with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Christopher Farr...
Silk
Bauhaus Pink Purple Black White Black Hand-Knotted Large Runner Rug in Stock
By Bauhaus
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary Postmodern Bauhaus rug. The rug design is inspired by modernistic German fine art school, the Bauhaus, founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar. F...
Wool
Small Study Rug by Anni Albers, Hand-Tufted Wool, Bauhaus Design
By Anni Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
This hand-tufted wool rug by Anni Albers is based on the 1926 cotton and silk original, now part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. This timeless design is in a seco...
Wool
$4,332Sale Price|20% Off
Custom Hand knotted Rug, after Wassily Kandinsky “Composition VIII”. Wool, silk
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Composition VIII” by Bauhaus master painter Wassily Kandinsky. Rug size (listed here): 280 x 200 cm / 9.2 x 6.6 ft Material: fine wool. Quality: Tibetan handknotted in 150 knots per square inch. Very exact translation of the original artwork as a handknotted rug, created by weaving approx. 1.3 million knots per hand or the rug in the listed size. Approx. 230 000 handmade knots per square meter. Colors: 26 custom-dyed colors. Main colors in the rug: warm base in ivory cream and abstract composition in the main colours dark orchid purple, sky blue and steel blue, golden yellow, maroon brown and saddle brown, firebrick red and dark sea green. Sustainable and certified fair-trade artisanal production. Label Step fair-trade partners. This elegant, lively rug is made entirely by hand using traditional weaving techniques. Numbered limited edition of maximum 100 fine handmade rugs with this art piece. Each rug comes with a sewn-on label with an image of the artist’s signature and numbered by hand, per order. This beautiful rug can also be ordered in even more luxurious materials like pure silk or mohair, and in plant-based materials like Tencel and linen. A combination of materials is possible as well. Production time may increase for these options, depending on material availability. Production time for this rug is between is approximately 12-14 weeks. For environmental reasons and to provide our full bespoke service, our rugs are always made to order. -- About the artwork on which this rug is based: “Composition VIII”: Wassily Kandinsky created “Composition VIII” in 1923. The painting represents the Kandinsky’s transition from his Munich style of Expressionism to abstract geometric form and structure and is considered a peak in his work during that period. “Composition VIII” is characterized by the use of tools such as compasses and rulers to draw circular and parallel-linear geometric shapes. This technique was influenced by the Russian painter Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko...
Other
Space Age German rug high pile by ADOROS, huge size 118.11 x 78.74 in, 1970s
Located in leucate, FR
Huge long-pile rug, German design, made by Adaros. Different reliefs of thickness and texture, color mix in beige, brown and black tones. The graphics are reminiscent of camouflage....
Acrylic
The Many Faces of Red by Josef Albers Limited Edition Rug, Hand-Tufted Wool
By Josef Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
100% hand-tufted wool rug adapted from a print from The Interaction of Color (1963) 4'9"× 5'9" (1.5 × 1.8m) printed tag showing edition detai...
Wool
Plate 111 Limited Edition Rug by Gunta Stölzl, Hand-Tufted Millspun Wool
By Gunta Stölzl
Located in Jersey City, NJ
5'7" x 8'10" (1.7 x 2.69m) Hand-tufted millspun wool Limited Edition Ships from the UK. Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery. This work by Gunta Stölzl was originally created on pape...
Wool
Runner 1922 Limited Edition Rug by Gunta Stölzl, Hand-Knotted Hand-Spun Wool
By Gunta Stölzl
Located in Jersey City, NJ
2'7" x 10'6" (0.8 x 3.2m) Hand-knotted, hand-spun Ghazni Wool Limited Edition Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery. From textile artist and Bauhausler, Gunta Stölzl, the first eve...
Wool
$3,386Sale Price|20% Off
Custom Hand knotted Rug, after Paul Klee “Fruits on Red”. Bauhaus. Brown. Wool.
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Fruits on Red” by Paul Klee. Material: fine New Zealand wool, with further options upon request. Quality: Hand knotted, 150 knots per square inch. Colors: 13 custom-dyed colors. Main colors in the rug: sienna brown, cerulean blue, maroon brown, sage green, and a warm combination of wheat cream, tan beige and cantaloupe. Rug size (as listed here): 185 x 240 cm / 6.1 x 7.9 ft Numbered limited edition of maximum 100 fine handmade rugs with this art piece. Sustainable and certified fair-trade artisanal production. Label Step fair-trade partners. This beautiful rug can also be ordered in even more luxurious materials like pure silk or mohair, as well as in plant-based materials like Tencel and linen and also in the hand tufted technique. A combination of materials is possible as well. Production time may increase for these options, depending on material availability. Production time for this rug is between is approximately 12 weeks. For environmental reasons and to provide our full bespoke service, our rugs are always made to order. -- About the artwork on which this rug is based: Paul Klee painted Fruits on Red (original title in German: Früchte auf Rot) in 1930 in Dessau, where Klee had moved from Weimar with the Bauhaus. The delicate, constructed architectonics of this artwork ideally exemplifies Klee’s insight into the anatomy of the objects. The original painting is at the Lenbachhaus in Munich, Germany. You can now have this fine Paul Klee Fruits on Red custom rug made by hand for you, in your desired custom size. -- About Paul Klee: “The art of mastering life is the prerequisite for all further forms of expression.” Paul Klee Swiss artist Paul Klee was born on December 18th, 1879. Art played...
Wool, Mohair, Linen, Silk
Anni Albers Temple Berry Rug, Hand-Tufted Silk, Bauhaus Design
By Anni Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
100% pure silk 5.6 x 3 feet (1.7 x .9 meters) edition of 150 Produced in association with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Christopher Farr...
Silk
Large Study Rug by Anni Albers, Hand-Tufted Wool, Bauhaus Design
By Anni Albers
Located in Jersey City, NJ
This hand-tufted wool rug by Anni Albers is based on the 1926 cotton and silk original, now part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. This timeless design is in a seco...
Wool
Plate 120 Limited Edition Rug by Gunta Stölzl, Hand-Tufted Millspun Wool
By Gunta Stölzl
Located in Jersey City, NJ
2'6" x 9'11" (0.77 x 3.03m) Hand-tufted millspun wool Limited Edition Ships from the UK. Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery. This work by Gunta Stölzl was originally created on ...
Wool
Plate 180 Limited Edition Rug by Gunta Stölzl, Hand-Tufted Millspun Wool
By Gunta Stölzl
Located in Jersey City, NJ
2'6" x 9'11" (0.77 x 3.03m) Hand-tufted millspun wool Limited Edition Ships from the UK. Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery. This work by Gunta Stölzl was originally created on ...
Wool
Zabihi Collection Brown Turkish Sivas Rug, 7'4'' x 10'5''
Located in New York, NY
A mid 20th century Turkish Sivas floral pattern rug with a floral field in earth tones Measures: 7'4'' x 10'5''.
Wool
$1,380Sale Price|20% Off
Custom Hand Tufted Rug, after Wassily Kandinsky “Composition” (1944) Limited Ed.
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand tufted rug based on the artwork “Composition”, painted by Wassily Kandinsky in 1944. Sustainable and certified fair-trade artisanal prod...
Wool
Large Constructivist Wool Rug by Antonín Kybal, Czechoslovak Avant-Garde, 1930s
Located in Berlin, DE
This large-scale rug by Antonín Kybal is a representative example of constructivist textile design from interwar Czechoslovakia, created around 1935. The composition is defined by a ...
Wool
Bauhaus Wall Cotton Rug, Flat-Wave Hand Woven, Bauhaus Weaving Workshop, c. 1925
Located in Berlin, DE
Flat-weave handwoven cotton wall rugs from the Bauhaus weaving workshop. "Bauhaus-Stoff" by an unknown designer, in composition, contrast and color stylistically under the influence ...
Cotton
$1,223Sale Price|20% Off
Custom Hand knotted Rug: “Conclusion" After Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted runner rug based on the painting “Conclusion” by Bauhaus master painter Wassily Kandinsky (original German title “Schluss”). Material: fine wool, with further o...
Other
Handknotted Rug after László Moholy-Nagy. Red Circle and Black Lines, Cream
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug after the art by László Moholy-Nagy. Rug size: 300 x 220 cm (9.8 x 7.2 ft). Further sizes and shapes upon request. Colors: 3 custom-dyed colors. Main colors...
Wool
Custom Hand Tufted Rug, after Sophie Taeuber-Arp “Rising Falling Flying”. Wool
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand tufted rug based on the painting “Rising Falling Flying” by Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Sustainable and certified fair-trade artisanal production. Label Step fair-trade partners...
Wool
1940s Bauhaus Wool Rug , Czechoslovakia
Located in Praha, CZ
- Good original condition with some signs of use - Professionally cleaned
Wool
Custom Handknotted Blue Brown Rug, after Paul Klee “Fire at Full Moon”. Bauhaus
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Fire at Full Moon” by Paul Klee. Size: 250 x 194 cm (8.2 x 6.4 ft). Further sizes, also bespoke, available. Colors: 20 custom-dyed co...
Wool, Mohair, Linen, Silk
Vintage Belgium Jan De Cock Art Rug. Size: 6 ft 6 in x 8 ft
Located in New York, NY
Breathtaking Vintage Belgium Jan De Cock Art Rug, Country of Origin: Belgium, Circa Date: Early 20th Century - Size: 6 ft 6 in x 8 ft (1.98 m x 2.44 m).
Wool
Custom Handknotted Blue Gray Rug, after Paul Klee “Fire in the Evening”. Bauhaus
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Fire in the Evening” by Paul Klee. Size: 100 x 250 cm (3.3 x 8.2 ft). Further sizes, also bespoke, available. Colors: 19 custom-dyed ...
Wool, Mohair, Linen, Silk
$2,043Sale Price|20% Off
Custom Hand tufted Rug, “Dada Composition" (1920) After Sophie Taeuber-Arp
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand tufted rug based on (after) the painting “Dada Composition” by Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Colors: 25 custom-dyed colors. Main colors in the rug: brown, cream, red and grey. M...
Wool
$5,201Sale Price|20% Off
Custom Hand knotted Rug: “Impression III (Concert)" After Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Impression (Concert)” by Bauhaus master painter Wassily Kandinsky. Material: fine wool. Quality: 150 knots per square inch. Approx. ...
Other
Custom Hand knotted Rug: “Gloomy Situation" After Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Gloomy Situation” by Bauhaus master painter Wassily Kandinsky. Rug size: 300 x 213 cm / 9.8 x 7.0 ft Colors: 9 custom-dyed colors. M...
Other
$2,991Sale Price|20% Off
Handknotted Rug, "Composition C XII" after László Moholy-Nagy. Blue, beige
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Composition C XII” by László Moholy-Nagy. Material: fine New Zealand wool. Quality: Hand knotted in 100 Tibetan knots per square inc...
Wool
Customizable Hand Tufted Rug, after Paul Klee, striking blue and black, Lim. Ed.
Located in Munich, DE
Custom Hand-Tufted Rug Inspired by Paul Klee's "This Star Teaches Bending" (1940) – Limited Edition Rug size as listed here: 250 x 230 (8.2 x 7.5 ft) Introducing a striking hand-tu...
Wool
$2,360Sale Price|20% Off
Custom Hand Tufted Rug, “Garden Figure” After Paul Klee. Pink, cream, brown
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand tufted rug based on the painting “Garden Figure” (original German title: Gartenfigur) by Bauhaus master painter Paul Klee. Sustainable and certified fair-trade artisanal...
Wool
$2,991Sale Price|20% Off
Custom Hand knotted Rug, after Sophie Taeuber-Arp “Rising Falling Flying”. Wool
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Rising Falling Flying” by Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Material: fine New Zealand wool, with further options upon request. Quality: Hand knot...
Wool, Linen