In the early 20th century, new styles of architecture began to take shape. To understand them, it helps to look at what came before. During the mid-1800s, Paris went through a major reconstruction led by Baron Haussmann. Parts of the city were redesigned, and buildings began to use factory-made components like wrought iron and cast iron fixtures. Windows and other parts of buildings were being produced in standardized sizes off-site, marking a shift toward modular construction.
Before this, there were other structures that hinted at where architecture might be heading. For example, the Crystal Palace designed by Joseph Paxton (not Sir Walter) for the 1851 Great Exhibition was a large glass and iron structure that looked like a greenhouse. It included some decoration that drew from classical styles. Around the same time, projects like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Eiffel Tower also explored new engineering and structural possibilities using iron and steel.
By the time industrialization had fully taken hold, architects began thinking differently about how buildings should look and function. Factories, in particular, didn’t need much decoration. Instead, they prioritized open space and efficiency. Materials like steel I-beams, reinforced concrete with rebar, and large poured concrete slabs made it possible to create wide, open floors supported by internal columns instead of load-bearing exterior walls. This meant that entire walls could be made of windows—even the corners—letting in large amounts of natural light.
Architects Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer took advantage of this in their design for the Fagus Factory. The open floor plan and glass curtain walls weren’t just practical; they also marked a shift in architectural thinking. With electricity and industrial machinery becoming common, factories needed big, well-lit interiors. It made more sense to use daylight than rely only on electric or arc lighting.
As more people saw buildings like the Fagus Factory, the idea of decorating them with classical elements like Ionic, Doric, or Corinthian columns started to seem unnecessary. This change in architecture paralleled shifts in other art forms. Around the same time, painters were also moving away from traditional forms. Styles like Cubism, and later, Suprematism from artists like Kazimir Malevich and abstract work from Wassily Kandinsky, emphasized shapes, space, and simplicity over detailed representation.
Walter Gropius and other German architects around the early 20th century developed a new kind of school focused on a design approach where form and function were closely connected. This idea—form follows function—shaped the foundation of the Bauhaus School. The Bauhaus wasn’t just an art or design school. It also worked like a factory and lab, combining teaching with hands-on making. It used the same kinds of industrial construction techniques seen in the Fagus Factory, like reinforced concrete and curtain walls made of glass that wrapped around the building and met at the corners. These features let in a lot of natural light.
Inside, the building was made to be flexible. Just like school cafeterias or gyms today sometimes use movable dividers, the Bauhaus building had spaces that could be rearranged easily. Electrical wiring and power lines were built into the floors and ceilings, and many pieces of equipment were on wheels. This setup made it possible to switch between different kinds of classes or workshops quickly, just by opening or closing walls and moving tools around.
This approach to architecture and space design influenced the way objects were made too. Industrial design became part of the school's main focus. One of the ideas behind the Bauhaus was that past styles and historical design traditions didn’t need to be followed anymore. Instead, students were encouraged to develop new ideas based on how things are actually built and used. They didn’t spend time learning classical architecture styles like Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian orders. Instead, they studied how materials, manufacturing, and use could shape design.
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At the same time in painting and visual art, movements like Dada, Cubism, and Suprematism also pushed away from past traditions. Artists like Pablo Picasso, Kazimir Malevich, and Wassily Kandinsky, along with the Der Blaue Reiter group, wanted to create art that didn’t rely on earlier styles. They experimented with new ways of seeing and making, just like the Bauhaus did in design.
One example of this Bauhaus approach to object design is a chair by Marcel Breuer. He designed it using steel tubing, like what was used in bicycles. It reflects the same focus on industrial materials, function, and clean design. Today, original versions of that chair are rare and can be very expensive, but the design remains an example of how the Bauhaus combined everyday function with new forms.
The chair designed by Marcel Breuer is made from lightweight metal tubing—usually aluminum or chromed steel—with strips of leather or synthetic fabric stretched across the frame. These strips are placed to support key pressure points on the body, like where you sit and where your back rests. The idea wasn’t to make the chair look soft or fully cushioned, but to support the body where it actually needed it. This was an early version of what we now think of as office ergonomics—design that helps people sit or work comfortably for long periods. When people shop for office chairs today, they often look for lumbar support or adjustable features. This chair was one of the first to focus on those practical details instead of how padded or decorative it looked.
The chair also avoids classical ornament. There are no carvings, scrolls, or historical references in its design. It's stripped down to just what it needs to function—no extra parts, no decoration.
This kind of modern design was not supported by fascist governments in the 1930s. In Germany, when the Nazi party rose to power, and in Italy under Mussolini, there was a push to bring back styles linked to the Roman Empire. Leaders in those countries believed that buildings and objects with classical features—columns, arches, and stone facades—symbolized national strength and tradition. Because of that, modern styles like the ones promoted by the Bauhaus were rejected. They were labeled as degenerate and were banned or discouraged.
As a result, many architects and designers from the Bauhaus left Germany. Some moved to the United States and other countries, where they continued working and teaching. This helped spread the Bauhaus ideas and made modernist design much more common outside of Europe, especially in American architecture and furniture design.
One of my students once said that a lot of what the Bauhaus made looks like stuff from IKEA. And honestly, that comparison isn’t far off. Years ago, when I first started teaching this class, I used to think about how you could find really nicely designed things at stores like Target and IKEA—things that looked good and were affordable. Back when Target was getting popular, maybe twenty years ago, I remember noticing how many of their home items had a clean, simple look. It was surprising that good design could come at such a low price.
That same idea shows up in the Bauhaus. A lot of their designs used basic, easy-to-find materials like glass, plexiglass, chrome, and rubber. These materials could be shaped and produced by machines, which meant they didn’t need hand-carving or extra detail. Without added ornamentation, they were simpler and cheaper to manufacture. A machine could shape the curves and lines without a lot of effort, and that kept costs low. But even though these objects were industrially made, a lot of thought went into how they were designed before production started.
That’s one of the main ideas behind the Bauhaus approach—blending function and form. The design needs to be useful, but it also has to look good. Most of the things that came out of the Bauhaus had smooth curves and were based on simple shapes like circles, squares, and straight lines. The materials were clean and easy to maintain, and when polished or finished properly, they had a sleek look. The designs were meant to be practical, easy to make, and still have a sense of style.
The Bauhaus style is closely connected to the kind of abstract painting that was being developed in the early 20th century. One artist who really shows a lot of the same ideas is Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter. His work used straight lines, blocks of color, and simple shapes, and it lines up well with the kind of thinking you see in Bauhaus design. His paintings are also a good example of what’s called modernism in architecture and design—sometimes also called the International Style.
If you ever need to remember the different styles we’re talking about—Bauhaus, the International Style, and even other related ones like De Stijl (sometimes pronounced distile or distil)—it’s usually okay to group them all under the larger term modernism. That word works as a kind of umbrella for all these related movements. Each one has its own features, but they all share the idea that design should be simple, functional, and shaped by modern materials and technology.
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