Modernism in Germany

Providing both affordable living space and furnishings had already been the concept of the representatives of the reform movements at the beginning of the century. Richard Riemerschmid’s Machine Furniture and Bruno Taut’s Type Furniture are good examples of these design approaches.

Even in the 1920s, standardisation in the domestic sphere was a central theme for architects, designers and urban planners – particularly with regard to social housing.

The urban planning project Das Neue Frankfurt [the new Frankfurt] was primarily intended to eliminate the acute housing shortage at that time while simultaneously satisfying aesthetic demands. In this context, the architect Ferdinand Kramer designed simple combinable furniture and standardised plywood doors that were suitable for small apartments.

However, Kramer was also a great admirer of the bentwood furniture made by Thonet-Mundus: although the bending of the wood was still done by hand, the parts were standardised and could be used for different products.

Erich Dieckmann, a Bauhaus student until 1925, developed, among other things, numerous standardised wooden chairs for the State Building Academy of Weimar, for which simple construction methods and cubic forms are typical.