Gropius Armchair Model

This is the Gropius Armchair model, 1/4 scale. It was created for my Furniture Theory class. I chose this chair because it's a very bold chair and the form is awesome!

Materials:
Black mat-board
Felt
Wood glue

(First photo is a photo of the real chair, the other photos are of the model)

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Gropius Armchair Analysis

The Gropius Armchair was designed by Bauhaus designer, Walter Gropius. To understand the significance of this chair, as well as the movement from which the chair was created, it is important to know the history of Bauhaus.

Walter Gropius was a German architect who founded the Bauhaus school in 1919. The Bauhaus school was famous for its approach in design, as well as combining crafts with fine arts. Gropius became widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture, and the Bauhaus style became one of the most influential design styles in Modernist architecture and modern design.

The Bauhaus style and design innovations became commonly associated with radically simplified forms, rationality and functionality, and the idea that mass-production was reconcilable with each individual artist. Many fundamental questions of craftsmanship and mass production, relationship of usefulness and beauty, practical purpose of formal elegance in commonplace objects, and whether or not a single proper form could exist, were argued and disputed among the members of Bauhaus[1].

The furniture pieces pictured above were all created from the Bauhaus school. They are all symmetrical, linear, and geometric. Each piece has it’s own unique style and silhouette, but have in common similar materials and construction methods.

The Bauhaus also had the ideology that high-design objects could be affordable to the masses. Walter Gropius had the idea that the use of inexpensive materials and minimalist décor would make it possible for all people to have good design in their homes. The Bauhaus school collaborated on the use of innovative materials and mass-produced fittings. These were often originally intended for industrial settings, and to create original furniture and buildings.

The Gropius Armchair grew out of the Bauhaus movement, and was created by the main objectives of the Bauhaus - unifying art, craft, and technology. The Gropius chair was modern; it was one of the firsts to have cantilever styled arms, a design element found in architecture. The geometric forms and use of innovative materials in this chair made a bold statement. Walter Gropius actually had this chair in his office at the Dessau Bauhaus. It’s been widely studied and known by architects and designers. It’s bold look and features dominate any environment, making it an object to remember.

Although this chair was created exclusively for the Bauhaus, it has been an inspiration for many other products, as well as architecture. Variations of this chair have been made, with adjustments to length, color, as well as materials. Below is an image of the Gropius Two Seat Sofa, a modern approach to the famous Gropius Armchair.

Today, the Bauhaus style remains a profound influence in the development of art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and typography. This concludes that good design, no matter its age, will always be influential, as well as timeless.

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[1] Bauhaus. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus December 8, 2009.