About... Bauhaus Design
Hopefully last month you caught the first piece in our series of blogs on some of the design features and movements that inspired us. That piece was about Mid-Century furnishings, and can be found here. This month, however, we want to talk about something that is close to all of our hearts here at Hardman, particularly that of chief designer Liam Hardman. That subject is the Bauhaus design movement.
What is Bauhaus?
Bauhaus is an artist movement from the early 20th Century and finds its inception from Germany - the word Bauhaus literally means “construction house”. In essence, what the design features represent are a combination of fine art and crafts.
Bauhaus, or Staatliches Bauhaus, was a German art school that was in operation from 1919 - 1933, and became famous for its unique approach to design, drawing on industrial and mass design mixed with fine art and artistic vision.
Whilst the movement was started within the school, the influence has spread across the World, and is still seen as a popular movement in 2020. A lot of the Hardman catalogue is directly and indirectly influenced by Bauhaus design, and each of these items prove popular in both the British and German markets.
The Features of Bauhaus
Sometimes simply discussing the history and themes of a design style isn’t enough to fully understand how to find and identify a particular type of creation. If you visit our website, our store has a name and style alongside each design. Often the best way to recognise something is to be told the core attributes and features of the design.
Some of the core design principles of the Bauhaus style are the basic and simple elements that make up the art, or the furniture, or the design that you’re looking at. Because the movement was created from the basis of industry and practicality, everything you see within this style is centred around plainness, almost lending itself to mass production. Think slim, slick basic designs that are straightforward. That doesn’t mean they’re made without care though. Because it takes careful crafting to create a quality bauhaus item.
Where to find Bauhaus in Pop Culture
Whilst the Bauhaus is one of the most influential and important design schools of all time, its influence on pop culture is sporadic and varied. Early in the James Bond franchise, multiple movies and their intro scenes were in some way inspired by this design type. Maybe it was the 60s and 70s swinging style that influenced them as much, but Bauhaus was front and centre of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time.
Similarly, hair stylist Vidal Sassoon was another pop culture icon to take direct inspiration from this movement, with colour palettes deriding from the early Bauhaus years.
Other inspiration can be seen from the band Bauhaus (in the form of both their name and their band logo) as well as continuous features on design programmes, books and art that shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. The school of Bauhaus remains as popular as ever.
Hardman Design and Bauhaus
Our love for the Bauhaus style floods out into our work, and much of what we design and sell is in direct relation to the school. Whether that’s our PADME table and bench set, our XANTHA table or AEMILIA dining table, we like to represent one the most prominent styles of all time into our work and our collection. If there’s anything you like and want to ask more about - whether it’s about the story of the piece, or the style behind the design - feel free to contact us directly. We would love to hear from you.