The beauty of minimalist Bauhaus design

The interior design style known as Bauhaus is guided by the belief that materials should not be hidden behind upholstery but exposed to show the honesty of each piece.

This sparse, austere style can be recognised by its steel tubing designs of chairs, sofas and tables. It still looks incredible in modern houses and apartments, yet it rose out of a war-ravaged Germany from the 1920s. 

Bauhaus elevated the skills of architecture, design and machinery and its design philosophy is around simplicity, economic logic and mass production

When you select Bauhaus as your interior design, you are embracing German history and culture that championed the beauty of industrialised, mass-produced furniture of light materials, geometric form and functionality.

Here are some tips for introducing a Bauhaus aesthetic to your home

1. Function comes first

The most fundamental of Bauhaus principles is that form follows function. Practically, this means that what looks good takes second place to practical use. For example, chairs with no discernible purpose are avoided even if one might look good in the corner of the room. This means no knick-knacks and ornaments.

2. True materials

Bauhaus deals faithfully with the materials of the furniture. Nothing should be hidden for the sake of aesthetics. Your home should expose the beams in the roof and make it integral to the furnishings, where the steel-tubing of chairs and tables is exposed as part of the ‘truth in materials’ philosophy. 

3. Leave it linear

Your entire approach must embrace the minimalist, industrial philosophy with the placement of furniture being linear. Avoid curves. Color, line and shape of furniture are the primary, almost the only, consideration in true Bauhaus design.

4. Add art for accents

Bauhaus interior design inspired a new wave of German art in the early 1920s that can still be found today. The founder of the Bauhaus movement, Walter Gropius, warned against creating an empty carcass of a home and he encouraged the installation of select and powerful artwork. Everything you put in your house should embrace the overall concept of Bauhaus.