Bauhaus 101: Designs that Shape Our World

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Happy Thursday and welcome back to The Midmod Corner: your stylish sidekick turning your home into a masterpiece, one swoon-worthy newsletter at a time 🎨

In today’s edition:

• Design Story: The start of a design revolution 📰

• Around The Web: Jay-Z and Beyonce's new crib 💰

• Cool Corner: Books for a cozy reading nook 📚

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📰 The Story

🎓 Embracing Simplicity: The Bauhaus Design Revolution

Time to hit the rewind button as we zip back to the 1920s, when the world was just waking up to the charms of the Bauhaus Movement. It was a whole new ballgame for design, one where simplicity and functionality sat side by side at the party. And oh, what a party it's been!

Let's start with some background. Bauhaus (German for 'building house') emerged in 1919, not just as a style, but as a philosophy 🎓. It married the artistic flair of fine arts with the practicality of crafts, becoming the driving force behind modernist design. Clean lines? Check. Minimal ornamentation? Check. Functionality? Double-check! The aim was to create objects that are simple, useful, and affordable for everyone – think IKEA, but a century earlier.

Ready for the highlight reel? Here are the top 10 iconic pieces that the Bauhaus has blessed us with. Get your design notebooks ready, this is about to get good! 📝

🚲 Wassily Chair: Breuer's Ode to Bicycles

Designed by Marcel Breuer. Inspired by the frame of a bicycle and influenced by the constructivist theories of the De Stijl movement, Breuer crafted this iconic chair purely from steel and leather, embodying the Bauhaus ethos of form following function.

🔅 MT8 Table Lamp: The Bauhaus Beacon

Designed by German designer Wilhelm Wagenfeld and Swiss designer Carl Jakob Jucker, the lamp became known as the Bauhaus Lamp, embodying a key Bauhaus principle that ‘form follows function’.

🎲 F51 Armchair: Gropius' Cubic Comfort

Designed by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, the F51 showcases angular form and comfort working in harmony. With its cubic form and use of luxurious upholstery, it's a lesson in how geometry cozies up with comfort.

🐣 Bauhaus Cradle: Keler's Geometric Lullaby

A Peter Keler masterpiece from 1922. It cleverly unites functionality and aesthetic in a cubist lullaby. This audacious nursery decor piece, bedecked in primary colors and geometric form, shows it's never too early to foster appreciation for bold Bauhaus brilliance.

♟Hartwig's Chess Set: Checkmate in Design

Who knew chess could be a design game? Josef Hartwig did, creating a chess set where each piece is reduced to its geometric symbol. Bauhaus at its playful best!

👑 Barcelona Chair: A Seat Worthy of a King

Brought to life for the Spanish Royalty, the Barcelona Chair remains a cornerstone of the Bauhaus ethos even today. Its sleek and simplistic design by Mies van der Rohe transforms stainless steel and leather into an artwork that invites a royal sit-down.

🧵Eclat Weave: A Tapestry of Modernist Innovation

A little less known than her male Bauhaus counterparts, Anni Albers was one of the leading textile designers of the 20th century. It’s Eclat Weave print is a brilliant fusion of artistic expression and functional design. This patterned textile features a complex, geometric design that reflects Albers' exploration of color and form, and the interplay of positive and negative space. Bet you didn't know that your favorite throw pillow could pack such a punch!

🧩 Nesting Tables + Laccio Tables: Artfully Compact

Josef Albers and Marcel Breuer considered balance, harmony and proportion coupled with simple, functional forms to be the basis of intelligent design. They also applied this principle to the furniture. As a result, the nest of four tables can be stacked and easily transported as a set.

Teapot: Making Every Sip a Bauhaus Experience

Who knew that brewing tea could be an art form? Marianne Brandt's tea infuser is proof of this. This small, yet impactful piece embodies Brandt's meticulous attention to detail and her ability to transform everyday objects into design masterpieces. A 1927 original has sold at auction for $361,000 back in 2007.

So, here's to the beauty of simplicity and the ongoing resonance of the Bauhaus Movement.

Just remember, "Less is more," said Bauhaus. But when it comes to our newsletter, we're definitely more about "more." Stay tuned for more design delights and wonders!

Until then, keep it stylish, keep it curious. 🚀

🗃 Bits and Pieces

• Buggy Business:This TikToker's viral curb find raises thrifty cheers and bedbug fears

• Dream Green: Would you spend $10k on this outdoor upgrade?

• Stairways to Heaven: Discover the power of color in transforming your staircases

😎 Cool Corner

Hold on to your bookmarks! Our journey into the transformative Bauhaus movement doesn't end just yet. This week's Cool Corner is your chance to take a deeper plunge into the world that reimagined the boundaries of art, design, and architecture.

So, without further ado, here are five must-read books that encapsulate the essence of this influential movement:

• Bauhaus 1919-1933: Step back in time and explore the birthplace of modernism. This is where the future began.

• Bauhaus Women - A Global Perspective: Pay tribute to the often overlooked, but immensely influential women of Bauhaus.

• The ABC's of Triangle, Square, Circle: A perfect choice for those who are looking for Bauhaus books with a more creative twist.

• Gropius: The book explores how Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe pioneered the International Style architectural movement.

🌐 Around the Web

• 🎵 That’s interesting: Jay-Z and Beyonce's home purchase makes waves in Malibu

• 🖼 Weekend plan: Experience Bottega Veneta and Lina Bo Bardi's Brazilian collaboration

• 🏘 On the market: Landmarked Richard Neutra available for lease in the Hollywood Hills

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