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.
Restored Bauhaus Small Table, Chrome, Revived Polish, Czechia, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Restored Bauhaus Small Table. Revived Polish. Material: Chrome-plated Steel, Blackened Batten Source: Czechia Period: 1930-1939 For its time, this table has a very unusual avant-g...
Steel, Chrome
Original Bauhaus Side Table, Chrome-Plated Steel, Czechia, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Original Bauhaus Side Table. Source: Czechia (Czechoslovakia) Period: 1930-1939 Material: Chrome-Plated Steel The chrome parts have been professionally cleaned. This item feature...
Metal, Steel, Chrome
Florence Knoll Style Square Side Table in Carrera Marble and Chrome, Italy
Located in Wheat Ridge, CO
Florence Knoll Style Square Side Table in Carrera Marble and Chrome, Made in Italy A timeless example of modernist design, this Italian-made side table features a stunning honed Car...
Carrara Marble, Chrome
Art Deco Coffee Round Dining Table Bauhaus, 1930s
By Thonet
Located in Antwerp, BE
This coffee, side table was designed by Thonet in the 1930s. The table features a tubular brass metal base and a Beechwood top with round faceted glass. In good Vintage condition. Di...
Brass
Old Oak Slat Bauhaus Side table, Germany 1930's
Located in Den Haag, NL
Old Oak Slat Bauhaus Side table, Germany 1930's
Oak
Pair of Restored Bauhaus Bedside Tables, Chrome, Lacquered Wood, Czech, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This pair of nightstands is a fantastic and design-forward example of Czechoslovak interwar Functionalism from the 1930s. Although the exact manufacturer of these pieces remains unkn...
Steel, Chrome
DOOQ! MODERN! Braque Side Table in Travertine and Guatemala Green Marble
By DOOQ
Located in Lisbon, PT
Celebrating a new invented reality, smooth and rough surfaces contrast with one another giving way to a new approach in shape and balance. Braque side table shows a torn and fragment...
Travertine, Marble
Dooq Dinner Table in Travertine and Estremoz Rose Marble Braque, D=150 cm
By DOOQ
Located in Lisbon, PT
Celebrating a new invented reality, smooth and rough surfaces contrast with one another giving way to a new approach in shape and balance. Braque dinner table shows a torn and fragme...
Travertine, Marble
Untitled Side Table Polished Unlacquered Brass Small Accent, End or Drink Stand
Located in Ozone Park, NY
Solid machined polished unlacquered brass with recessed hex-head fasteners. All material finishes are living finishes: they will change and patina for the better with time and use. P...
Brass
Bauhaus 2 Top Table with Light Inside Chrome and Black Bakelite Model "Sultane"
Located in Schöfflisdorf, CH
Bauhaus 2 top table with light inside chrome and black bakelite.
Chrome
Marcel Breuer Attributed Bauhaus Nickel-Plated Steel & Walnut Side Table, 1920s
Located in Biebergemund, Hessen
Marcel Breuer attributed beautiful handcrafted Bauhaus console table, manufactured in the 1920s, Germany. The table is made of a nickel-plated steel tube and a walnut wood plate. The...
Steel
Dietrich Round White Carrara Marble Side Table With Ink Blue Enamelled Base
Located in Toronto, Ontario
This table features a honed Carrara marble top with a sculptural, asymmetrical solid maple base with a hand lacquered finish. A statement piece on its own, this table offers a uniq...
Marble
stunning set Bauhaus crescent tables. 1930s attrib Thonet
By Thonet
Located in Den Haag, NL
Unique set of crescent tables. Chrome tube frame .comes with a thick solid wooden top. Mat Black color. Respray . Simple but great design . Original tables from the 1930s . the Ch...
Chrome
Marcel Breuer B9c Side Table in Original Blue, Tubular Steel, 1930s
Located in Berlin, DE
An original 1930s B9 side table designed by Marcel Breuer, featuring its original blue-painted wooden top and a chrome-plated tubular steel frame. With its dimensions of 60.5 × 66 × ...
Steel
$1,177Sale Price|20% Off
Bauhaus Two-Tier Side Table, Birch Top & Chrome Frame, Germany, 1930
Located in Den Haag, NL
Stunning Two Tier side table, Chrome tube frame, comes with a Birch wood top. 1930 Bauhaus Germany. Rare piece.
Birch
Restored Bauhaus Side Table, by Hynek Gottwald, Walnut, Chrome, Czech, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This elegant Bauhaus style table comes from Czechoslovakia from the 1930s. It features a tubular chrome steel frame, which has been professionally cleaned. The tabletop is made of bl...
Steel, Chrome
Rare Bauhaus Style Tubular 2-Tier Side Table in tubular steel, Italy 1970s
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a very rare Tubular Bauhaus Style Side Table with Wheels. It has two tiers, with white hardboards placed on the ...
Chrome
Marcel Breuer Pair of Original Thonet B-12 Side Tables
Located in Sharon, CT
A pair of classic Breuer designs in original unrefinished condition.
Steel
DOOQ! New! Modern! Braque Side Table in Travertine and Green Marble
By DOOQ
Located in Lisbon, PT
Celebrating a new invented reality, smooth and rough surfaces contrast with one another giving way to a new approach in shape and balance. Braque side table shows a torn and fragment...
Travertine, Marble
Dooq Side Table in Travertine and Guatemala Green Marble Braque
By DOOQ
Located in Lisbon, PT
Celebrating a new invented reality, smooth and rough surfaces contrast with one another giving way to a new approach in shape and balance. Braque side table shows a torn and fragment...
Travertine, Marble
Bauhaus Side Table Wild Oak Ceruse Square Chromed Legs
Located in Schöfflisdorf, CH
Bauhaus side table oak ceruse square chromed legs.
Chrome
Dooq Dinner Table in Travertine and Estremoz Rose Marble Braque, D=120 cm
By DOOQ
Located in Lisbon, PT
Celebrating a new invented reality, smooth and rough surfaces contrast with one another giving way to a new approach in shape and balance. Braque dinner table shows a torn and fragme...
Travertine, Marble
Art deco bauhaus tubular flower stand B136 by Emile Guyot
By Emile Guyot
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Art deco bauhaus tubular flower stand B136 by Emile Guyot in original condition. All chrome parts are in 99% condition. Small edges on glass parts.
Stainless Steel
Bauhaus Pair of Bed-Side Tables, Mücke Melder, Plywood, Czechia, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Bauhaus Pair Of Bed-Side Tables by Mücke Melder. Original Well-Preserved Paint. Maker: Mücke - Melder Material: Plywood, Chrome-Plated Steel, Glass S...
Metal, Steel, Chrome
Restored Bauhaus Side Table, by Mücke-Melder, Walnut, Chrome, Czech, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This elegant Bauhaus side table comes from Czechoslovakia from the first half of the 20th century. It is made of tubular chromed steel and spruce blockboard veneered with dark walnut...
Steel, Chrome
Restored Bauhaus Small Table, Oak, Chrome-Plated Steel, Czechia, 1930s
By Kovona
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Period: 1930-1939 Source: Czechia (Czechoslovakia) Material: Chrome-Plated Steel, Oak Wood The chrome parts have been cleaned and professionally restored. This item features class...
Steel, Chrome
20th Century Small Czech Restored Chrome Bauhaus Table, Oakwood, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Small Czech chrome Bauhaus table. Period: 1930-1939 Source: Czechia. Material: Oak and chrome.
Chrome
Steeltube Side Table by Mauser Werke, Black and Chrome, Germany circa 1950
By Mauser Werke
Located in Regensburg, DE
Vintage Bauhaus Steeltube Side Table by Mauser Werke, Waldeck, Germany, circa 1950. Chromed steel tube frame with two black-lacquered metal shelves. Signature plate on the side read...
Metal, Steel, Chrome
Restored Bauhaus Side Table, Caucasian Walnut, Chrome-Plated Steel, Czech, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This Bauhaus side table originates from Czechoslovakia and dates back to the early 20th century. It was manufactured by Mora. The table is made from Caucasian walnut and tubular chr...
Metal, Steel, Chrome
Art Deco / Bauhaus Side Table, Black Lacquer, Chromed, Austria, circa 1920
Located in Regensburg, DE
Wonderful, rare and high-qulaity restored side table / former luggage table. The table was used as a luggage table in the 1920/30s with steel trims at the top for placing a suitcase...
Metal
Unusual Small Czech Restored Round Black Beech Chrome Bauhaus Table, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Small Czech chrome Bauhaus table. Material: Chrome-plated steel and beech Period: 1930-1939 Source: Czechia.
Chrome
Rare Functionalist Side Table by Antonin Heythum, 1930s
Located in Praha, CZ
Antonín Heythum was a renowned architect who made a name for himself not only in Czechoslovakia but also in America, where he worked as a professor of industrial design at Columbia U...
Beech
$7,520Sale Price / item|20% Off
Chloe Side Table in travertine & lacquer, Le Berre Vevaud
Located in Paris, IDF
Chloe side table Travertine, Memphis, France, Le Berre Vevaud Empreinte Collection Steel base, glossy black lacquered finish Solid walnut travertine tray, sandblasted brushed fini...
Travertine, Metal
Czech Restored Oak Chromed Steel Bauhaus Side-Table, Hynek Gottwald, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Small Czech chrome Bauhaus table. Material: Chrome-plated steel and oak Maker: Hynek Gottwald Period: 1930-1939 Source: Czechia.
Chrome
White Mücke, Melder Side Table, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Original condition, well preserved paint and finish. Made in the 1930s in Czechia.
Steel, Chrome
Czech Chrome Bauhus Green Trolley by Vichr, Original Condition, 1930s
By Vichr & Spol
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Small green Bauhaus trolley. Period 1930-1939. Source: Czechia (Czechoslovakia) Material: Chrome Maker: Vichr a spol.
Chrome
Chrome Oak Bauhaus Trolley, Completely Restored, Halabala, UP Zavody, 1930s
By Jindřich Halabala, Up Závody
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Early 20th century unique Czech Bauhaus trolley. Period: 1920-1929. Material: Oak and chrome-plated steel Source: Czech (Czechoslovakia) Maker: U...
Chrome