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Design and History
This social stance is particularly apparent in the work of Bauhaus student Wilhelm Wagenfeld, who was adamant that mass-produced goods should be both cheap and excellently designed and made. His designs for the Lausitz Glassworks and WMF (Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik) have become so widespread that they occupy an almost anonymous position in everyday culture, because Wagenfeld as a designer gave prominence to his products rather than his person (for his lifework see Manske and Scholz 1987). It should, however, be pointed out that the Bauhaus designs had no influence on the mass culture of the 1930s. Purchasers of Bauhaus products came from intellectual circles, which were open to new design concepts. Nonetheless, looking back from today’s perspective, we can certainly speak of a “Bauhaus style” that was a formative influence in twentieth-century design (Bittner 2003).
Bauhaus and Furniture Design Design at the Bauhaus was largely shaped by a generation of young architects whose main interest was the functions of products and the surroundings of those who lived in buildings. In a radical break with the nineteenth century, and with the predominant ideas that produced the plush decor of the upper- middle-class home, designers turned their attention to technological questions. Fascination with new construction methods led to functionally reconceived “type furniture.” At this early stage the allure of technology was already giving rise to a symbolism of its own. Steel tubing in the apartment became a trademark of the intellectual avant-garde. However, the market potential of such furniture was not exploited properly until the 1960s, for example, by Cassina and other Italian furniture manufacturers.