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Bauhaus Desks

BAUHAUS STYLE

The Bauhaus was a progressive German art and design school founded by the architect Walter Gropius that operated from 1919 to 1933. Authentic Bauhaus furnituresofas, dining chairs, tables and more — and the school’s followers married industrial and natural materials in simple, geometric forms. The goal of the Bauhaus was to erase the distinction between art and craft while embracing the use of new technologies and materials.

ORIGINS OF BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Emphasis on craft
  • Simplicity, order, clarity and a prioritization of functionalism
  • Incorporation of geometric shapes
  • Minimalist and refined, little to no ornamentation
  • Use of industrial materials such as tubular chrome, steel and plastic as well as leather, cane and molded plywood in furniture and other products

BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGNERS YOU SHOULD KNOW

AUTHENTIC BAUHAUS FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The name Bauhaus is derived from the German verb bauen, “to build.” Under the school’s innovative curriculum, students were taught the fine arts, such as painting and sculpture, as well as practical skills like carpentry and metalworking. 

The school moved from Weimar in 1925 to the city of Dessau, where it enjoyed its heyday under Gropius, then Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The period from 1932 to 1933 when it operated in Berlin under Mies was its final chapter. Despite its brief existence, the Bauhaus has had an enduring impact on art and design in the United States and elsewhere, and is regarded by many as the 20th century’s chief crucible of modernism

The faculty roster at the Bauhaus reads like a who’s who of modernist creative genius — it included such artists as Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and László Moholy-Nagy along with architects and designers like Mies and Marcel Breuer, who became known for his muscular brutalist-style concrete buildings in the postwar years. In 1925, while he was head of the Bauhaus carpentry workshop, Breuer gave form to his signature innovation: the use of lightweight tubular-steel frames for chairs, side tables and sofas — a technique soon adopted by Mies and others. Breuer’s Cesca chair was the first-ever tubular steel frame chair with a caned seat to be mass produced, while the inspiration for his legendary Wassily chair, a timeless design and part of the collection crafted to furnish the Dessau school, was the bike he rode around campus.

Bauhaus design style reflects the tenets by which these creators worked: simplicity, clarity and function. They disdained superfluous ornament in favor of precise construction. Seating pieces such as side chairs, armchairs or club chairs for example, were made with tubular metal or molded plywood frames, and upholstery was made from leather or cane. Above all, designs in the Bauhaus style offer aesthetic flexibility. They can be the elements of a wholly spare, minimalist space, the quiet foundation of an environment in which color and pattern come from one’s own collection of art and artifacts.

Today, from textiles to typefaces, architecture, furniture and decorative objects for the home, Bauhaus creations continue to have an outsize influence on modern design.

Find a collection of authentic Bauhaus furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Bauhaus
Deco Bauhaus chrome 3 drawer desk by Wolfgang Hoffmann Desk for Howell
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Deco Bauhaus chrome 3 drawer desk by Wolfgang Hoffmann Desk for Howell. Bent chrome tube structure with 3 drawers. Good vintage condition for its age shows wear and use to chrome and...
Category

1930s American Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Chrome

Bauhaus Tubular Steel Desk by André Lurçat, Manufactured by Thonet, circa. 1935
Located in Berlin, DE
Bauhaus tubular steel desk designed by André Lurçat and probably manufactured by Thonet. Chrome plated tubular steel, stained oak veneer, circa 1930.
Category

1930s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Small Bauhaus Desk by Mauser Werke, Black Lacquer, Tubular Steel, Germany, 1954
Located in Regensburg, DE
Small Mauser 'Typewriters' Desk with stool, Black Lacquer, Tubular Steel, Germany, 1954 Original, fully restored Mauser 'Rundform' desk ‚Model Frankfurt’ from Waldeck/Germany, 1954....
Category

1950s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Aluminum, Steel, Sheet Metal

Bauhaus Partners Desk, Green Lacquer, Metal, Steeltube, Germany circa 1930
Located in Regensburg, DE
Large Bauhaus “Partners desk” (usable from two sides) from Germany around 1930 High gloss lacquered in the original green color (British Racing Green). Polished steel tube and partly...
Category

1920s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Steel, Chrome, Sheet Metal

Modernist Tubular Steel Desk, Walnut Veneer, Chromium Plated Metall, circa 1935
Located in Berlin, DE
Modernist tubular steel desk, walnut veneer, chromium plated metal, circa 1935 This desk is restored on request, delivery time 6-8 weeks.
Category

1930s Czech Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Modernist Desk in Solid Wood 40s / 50s Bauhaus Style Vintage
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
French desk from the 40s / 50s in modernist Bauhaus style. Structure of the desk in veneered and solid Rio rosewood with a triple tubular base in chromed steel quite rare. The desk i...
Category

1940s French Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Chrome

Bauhaus Desk by Erich Dieckmann, Rosewood, Lacquer, Chrome, Germany circa 1925
Located in Regensburg, DE
Original, fully restored Bauhaus Executive Desk, attributed to Erich Dieckmann, Germany, 1923-1925 at the Bauhaus in Weimar. Wonderful rosewood / Palisander veneer with excellent piano lacquer finish. Inside in bright maple in satin finish and high-gloss inside the doors. Polished decorative stainless steel trims around the top and bottom. Nickel-plated metal fittings and details, galvanized and polished. Original locks repaired. On the backside there are two book compartments...
Category

1920s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Stainless Steel, Nickel

Bauhaus Desk by Mücke-Melder, Steeltubes and Oak Veneer, Czechia circa 1935
Located in Regensburg, DE
Beautiful, large modernist Bauhaus Steeltube Desk by Mücke-Melder, Czechia circa 1935. Oak solid wood and veneer. Chrome-plated, polished tubular steel frame with original patina. Left and right each 4 long drawers. By locking the top drawer all 4 drawers are locked. Very functional with much storage space and very good legroom. The desk can also be used as a 'partners desk' and be worked on from two sides. In the style of Marcel Breuer’s steel tube desks...
Category

1930s Czech Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Steel

1930's modernist desk in black lacquered metal
Located in Langemark-Poelkapelle, BE
1930's modernist desk in black lacquered metal, nickelplated handles and surmounted by a thick slab of Saint-Gobain glass. With working lock on the drawers! In the style of Bruno Wei...
Category

Early 20th Century Unknown Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Metal

Serge Chermayeff One-of-a-Kind Curved Desk from the BBC Building 1930s
Located in Coronado, CA
Spectacular one-of-a-kind curved desk designed by Serge Chermayeff circa 1933 for the BBC building in Manchester, England. This is the original desk t...
Category

1930s American Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Copper

Modernist Tubular Steel Desk, Stained Wood, Chromium Plated Metall, c. 1930
Located in Berlin, DE
Modernist tubular steel desk model PS 10, stained wood, chromium plated metal, c. 1930. The wood finish can be customized. This desk is restored on request, delivery time 8-10 weeks.
Category

2010s Czech Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Small Modernist Writing Table, Chromed Steel, Veneered/ Lacquered Wood, Bespoke
Located in Berlin, DE
Small modernist writing table made of chrome plated tubular steel, stained/ veneered/ lacquered wood. The table can be customized and is available in different amounts. Delivery time...
Category

2010s German Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Marcel Breuer B21 Thonet Bauhaus Tubular Steel Typewriter Table
Located in Sharon, CT
Important early piece (1928) of Breuer's revolutionary tubular furniture.
Category

1930s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Steel

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Functionalist Tubular Steel Desk by Gottwald and Chair by Slezak 1930s
Located in Wien, AT
Functionalist tubular steel desk by Hynek Gottwald and chair by Slezak 1930s. This one of a kind directors desk with a very nice walnut veneer has been completely restored. The ma...
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Mid-19th Century Czech Antique Bauhaus Desks

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Steel, Chrome

Desk in Wood, 1940, Made in France
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
It is an elegant and sophisticated dream desk. The quality of the furniture and the exotic wood used make it unique. It is an icon of distinction. You want to live in the golden yea...
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1940s Italian Vintage Bauhaus Desks

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Desk in Wood, 1940, Made in France
Desk in Wood, 1940, Made in France
H 63.78 in W 44.49 in D 19.69 in
Artona by Afra & Tobia Scarpa – Walnut veneer laminate desk and chair
Located in Uccle, BE
The desk elements made of walnut laminate with different color hardwood overlay. The top in burr walnut veneer. The front of the side doors and the central drawer covered in cognac l...
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Mid-20th Century Italian Bauhaus Desks

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Leather, Wood

Desk by Gordon Bunshaft Manufactured by Knoll for SOM Architect Chase Bank
By Som American, Gordon Bunshaft
Located in Jersey City, NJ
Desk has a solid polished steel frame that supports a 1.25 inch marble top with thin wooden drawers on each side. The desk was made for Chase Bank Corporate...
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1960s American Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Bauhaus Era Bookcase, Tubular Steel Base, Walnut Veneer, 1930s
Located in Wrocław, Poland
This stunning Bauhaus era bookcase was made around 1930s, most probably in Italy. It features gorgeous tubular steel frame in one piece that embraces wooden chest with shelves and dr...
Category

1930s Italian Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Steel

French writing Table 2 drawers in Solid Cherry Wood - Louis XVI Directoire style
Located in Landivy, FR
This writing table is part of the Mélanie collection, a modern interpretation of the French Directoire style of the late 18th century. This style is famous for its straight, classi...
Category

2010s French Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Wood, Oak, Cherry

Red Lacquered Wood Desk from the 50s, Italian
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Red lacquered wood desk from the 50s, Italian. Desk 1950s Country: Italian Materials: Red lacquered wood Finish: polyurethanic lacquer It is an ...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Wood

Red Lacquered Wood Desk from the 50s, Italian
Red Lacquered Wood Desk from the 50s, Italian
H 30.71 in W 23.23 in D 38.98 in
Art Deco Wolfgang Hoffmann Romweber World's Fair Century of Progress Sideboard
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and important American Art Deco Century of Progress Sideboard by iconic designer Wolfgang Hoffmann (Austrian, 1900-1969) for Romweber Company, Batesville, Indiana. circa 1933-1936 Created for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, fine quality craftsmanship and construction, having a rectangular exotic rosewood veneered top over conforming solid wood case fitted with four drawers affixed with horizontal pulls, the top drawer opening to reveal felt lined divided interior for silverware, flanked by cabinet doors opening to shelved interior, subtle geometric lines add interest. Rosewood, mahogany, richly figured blonde - golden birch or primavera. Signed, top drawer interior, featuring 1933 World's Fair mark impressed. **Please note, at the time of writing this, a matching display case - vitrine cabinet (shown in last photo) is currently available separately** Provenance / Acquisition: Property from the important and iconic Collection of Mr. James I. Rafftesaeth Jr., Dallas, Texas Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas. 2022 Design Signature Auction catalog #8091 History: Wolfgang Hoffmann was born in Vienna, Austria in 1900. He is the son of famous architect, pedagogue and Wiener Werkstatte cofounder, Joseph Hoffmann (1870-1956). Early on, following his father’s s interests, he was trained in the decorative arts and design. Wolfgang Hoffmann once reminisced, “I spent eight years at the Realschule, then three years went to a special architectural school, where I perfected my technical knowledge of architecture and general construction. From this school, I was graduated to the Kunstgewerbeschule [Studying under Oskar Strnad and Josef Frank in Vienna]. After finishing this school, I had one and a half years of practical in a well known architect’s office. Thereafter I worked in my Father’s office for two years”. Hoffmann met his future wife, Polish immigrant Pola (1902-1984) when they were both studying at the Kunstgewerbeschule. Joseph Urban (1872-1933) was needing an assistant for his architectural business in New York and contacted his friend and colleague, Joseph Hoffmann in Vienna. Hoffmann recommended his son Wolfgang. Urban hired him and sent a first class passage ticket to Vienna for Wolfgang to travel to New York. Wolfgang married Pola and traded his ticket for two tickets to America in steerage, arriving in New York City in December of 1925. Leaving the Urban office after nine months, Wolfgang and Pola formed an independent design practice with offices on Madison Avenue in Manhattan with the purpose of creating contemporary interiors and industrial designs. Early work included theaters, stores, and apartments mostly in New York City. During the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the Hoffmanns designed custom furniture for private clients. Some of these examples were shown in the February 1929 issue of House and Garden. Curiously, the examples’ design was attributed to Urban and the production to Pola Hoffmann, Inc. Established in the fall of 1928, the American Designers’ Gallery was “devoted exclusively to showing objects and interiors for practical use… by fourteen American architects and designers”. Its members included the Hoffmans and Urban as well as ceramist Henry Varnum Poor (1888-1971), architect Raymond Hood (1881-1934), artist designer Winold Reiss (1886-1953), graphic designer Lucien Bernhard (1896-1981), decorator Donald Deskey (1894-1989), and architect Ely Jacques Kahn (1884-1972). The Hoffmanns’ work was included in the American Designers’ Gallery’s two showcase events, its 1928 and 1929 exhibitions. Their dining alcove at the 1929 event featured a bench with a dinette table and two chairs in American walnut designed by Wolfgang and a rug by Pola. Lucien Bernhard, fellow Austrian immigrant who settled in New York a year before the Hoffmanns, operated the gallery and decorating service Contempora with Munich resident Bruno Paul (1874-1968). The Hoffmanns, occasionally participating with Contempora, designed a number of outstanding interiors, including the constructivist living room of 1930 for Mrs. O.R. Sommerich at 40 East 66th street. In 1934, Donald Deskey commissioned Wolfgang to design birchwood furnishings for the eclectic apartment at 625 Park Avenue belonging to Helena Rubinstein. In 1931, Wolfgang exhibited his work at the Pennsylvania Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The same year, with Kem Weber (1889-1963) he organized the second and final exhibition of AUDAC- “Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts”- at the Brooklyn Museum. At this event, the Hoffmanns showed the dining room previously included in the American Designer’s Gallery’s 1929 exhibition in the Chase Bank Building lobby at 145 West 57th Street in Manhattan. In 1932 Wolfgang was asked to assist Urban in developing the color scheme for the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair “A Century of Progress”. He was also commissioned to design the interior and furniture for the fair’s lumber industries house. There he executed its living and dining rooms furnished by Kroehler Manufacturing Company of Chicago; the boys’ room by Shower Brothers...
Category

Early 20th Century American Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Birch, Mahogany, Rosewood

Desk French Style Writing Desk, Black Lacquer with Grey Leather Writing Surface
Located in Toronto, CA
We present a beautifully finished desk made in Italy by Selva in cherry wood, with a leather writing surface. This item has been recently re-stained by our expert team in a black lac...
Category

20th Century Italian Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Leather, Cherry

France Desk Art Deco, 1920, Materials, Wood and Chrome
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
French desk style: Art Deco Year 1920 Material: Wood and chrome It is an elegant and sophisticated dream desk. The quality of the furniture and the exotic wood used make it unique. ...
Category

1920s French Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Wood

Refurbished original Bauhaus style tubular steel wardrobe
Located in PRAHA 4, CZ
This exquisite Bauhaus wardrobe, crafted in 1929, represents a remarkable example of German craftsmanship. It is characterized by its minimalist and functional design, typical of the...
Category

Early 20th Century Czech Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Huge Partners Desk
Located in Annville, PA
This is the Huge Partners Desk in the Niagara Furniture collection. This desk behemoth matches a number of other pieces which we produce. The fantastic solid mahogany top frame is in...
Category

2010s Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Leather, Mahogany

Huge Partners Desk
Huge Partners Desk
H 31.5 in W 80 in D 46 in
Previously Available Items
Bauhaus Era Kneehole Desk Attr. Thonet, Europe, 1930's
Located in Austin, TX
Bauhaus era kneehole desk with Thonet style bentwood frame. Solid maple trim with inset panels of book matched European walnut veneer. Finished on all sides with inset faux ink black leather writing...
Category

Early 20th Century European Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Faux Leather, Walnut, Maple

Typewriter's Desk 'Model Frankfurt' by Mauser Werke, Waldeck/Germany, 1954
Located in Regensburg, DE
Original streamline Mauser Typewriter's desk “Model Frankfurt” from 1954. * Metal relacquered in original cream white color * Asymmetrical shape * Streamline Moderne or Bauhaus style...
Category

1950s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Metal, Steel

Czech Black Painted Beechwood and Tubular Chrome Bauhaus Desk
Located in Vienna, AT
Very charming small desk with a frame in tubular chromed steel. Manufactured in Czech Republik, in the 1930s. It features a tubular chromed frame, a wooden top and one storage unit ...
Category

1930s Czech Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Chrome

Cabinet-Table-Desk British Modern, 1930-1940
Located in Brussels, BE
Original British folded desk : Modern from 1930s-1940s. The body and the feet are in cream painted metal. Very original and rare drop-down desk-cabinet. Modernism in Britain. Desig...
Category

1930s English Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Wood

Cabinet-Table-Desk British Modern, 1930-1940
Cabinet-Table-Desk British Modern, 1930-1940
H 45.28 in W 47.64 in D 10.24 in
Adolf Maier Blonde Bauhaus Desk Locking Tambour Doors, Germany
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your pleasure: Vintage Möbelfabrik Desk in Blonde Wood by Adolf Maier. Made in Germany. The desk retains bronze maker's label, Adolf Maier, please see images. Vintage condition...
Category

1930s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Wood

Restored Bauhaus Black Lacquered Wood Desk with Chrome Steel by Marcel Breuer
Located in Almelo, NL
Restored German Art Deco black lacquered wood desk with chrome steel designed by Marcel Breuer His friends and family affectionately called him Lajkó, but the rest of us know him ...
Category

Early 20th Century German Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Chrome

Bauhaus desk, East Germany circa 1920, Macassar veneer
Located in Regensburg, DE
Strong Bauhaus desk from "Deutsche Werkstätten, Hellerau, Germany", free standing because is allside veneer, Macassar veneer is rarity,
Category

1920s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Wood

Rare and Important Marcel Breuer Bauhaus Desk for Thonet, 1930s
Located in Buffalo, NY
Designed by the Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer in 1935, this desk shows very well the functional Design of the Bauhaus School. The desk in ash with visible wood texture was produced...
Category

1930s German Vintage Bauhaus Desks

Materials

Chrome, Nickel

Bauhaus desks for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Bauhaus desks for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage desks created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Bauhaus desks made in a specific country, there are Europe, Germany, and Czech Republic pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original desks, popular names associated with this style include André Lurcat, Marcel Breuer, Mauser Werke, and Mücke & Melder. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for desks differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,053 and tops out at $13,500 while the average work can sell for $6,643.

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