Twas the month before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Save for a company from South Tirol, In hopes that unwary Christmas shoppers would buy their illegal unlicensed copies of Bauhaus classics In a lesser known version of his 1822 classic “A Visit from St. Nicholas", Clement Clarke Moore eerily predicted events some 180 years later whereby, as part of a Christmas sales promotion, a "known" producer of unlicensed copies of Bauhaus classics
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First produced in 1936 by Gebrüder Kaiser & Co. in Neheim-Hüsten, the “town of lights” in the Sauerland region of Germany, the KAISERidell 6631 R Luxus quickly became a by-word for product design, choice of materials and precise engineering. Designed by silversmith and Bauhaus Weimar Meister Christian Dell the 6631 Luxus is characterized by the smooth, asymmetrical design of the lampshade and the attention to detail such as the the swivel joints which enable the lamp to be positioned in
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We're just a touch late with this one, but since July 22nd the Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin has been showing the exhibition "Bauhaus. A Conceptual Model". For the first time, the three German Bauhaus institutions - Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, Museum für Gestaltung, Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau and Klassik Stiftung Weimar - are uniting to present a comprehensive Bauhaus retrospective. “Bauhaus. A Conceptual Model” recounts the story of the Bauhaus in a comprehensive presentation of the works of its
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As we stood looking at some mighty fine, but horribly over-carved, wooden furniture at the Salone in Milan a female colleague confided in us that all she needs is some leather straps and a few bits of bent metal. Trying not to show our horror at this outburst of candour, we asked if she had a meeting with El Presidente that evening. "No, no" replied our erstwhile colleague, "Bauhaus. That's my idea of good design" Eileen Gray (1878 -1976) We recite this tale here principally to amuse
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While the "big name" designers show their wares at the IMA Village, the future stars are grouped together as DMY:Youngsters in the Treptower Park Arena Admittedly the classification is based on the organisers own perception and marketing concept - why, for example should the students from Bauhaus Uni Weimar be considered "Allstars" while those from Burg Giebichenstein in Halle are classed as "youngsters"? It makes no sense. Especially given that the Burg Giebichenstein show considerably
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The good news is that there are plenty of tables in the press room. And some excellent stuff on show from ETH Zürich, Fischerundfritze and Design Apparat, among others. More information and photos will follow soon. And Bauhaus University Weimar are here again with their "my bauhaus is better than yours" exhibition. It still isn't, but "their birdhaus maybe better than yours"
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One of Europe's most important design institutions today celebrates the 90th anniversary of its establishment. For fans of purist design Bauhaus is the first and last word. Designs such as the B3 "Wassily Chair" by Marcel Breuer, the Nesting Tables from Josef Albers or the WA24 lamp form Wilhelm Wagenfeld defining an approach to the combination of style and form that has lost none of its modernity nor individuality over the decades. Where the furniture and buildings rarely strayed from the
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At the Tokyo Design Week the German furniture producer Thonet presented their classic cantilever chair in a new light. In co-operation with the Japanese retailer Muji, Thonet - the self-styled “world’s oldest furniture brand” - presented a new interpretation of the classic Bugholzstühle (chairs created from wood formed through the application of steam to aid the bending and shaping. The process was developed by Michael Thonet. The official Thonet translation of Bugholz is "bentwood",
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