Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe was firstly a builder and later he became a draughts man for Aachen architectural offices. He worked for Bruno Paul till the 1907 and the he joined Peter Behrens, which he started designing for the AEG Company, alongside Walter Gropius. A year after he left Behrens, in 1912 he opened his own office studio, where he started designing offices, houses, etc. Then in 1926, he joined the Deutscher Werkbund and became its vice president. Mart Stam was an inspiration to him as he started to get inspired from the cantilevered chairs. Two chairs that were inspired from Stam are the MR10 chair and the MR20 armchair, both made in tubular steel.
He served as the last director of the Bauhaus and he was the one behind the idea that the school moves from Dessau to Berlin, where it made its end in 1933. Then in Berlin he continued to work as a freelance architect and again he moved to the United States, where he opened architectural offices in Chicago. There he directed the Armour institute, where many studied and later became popular architects. Its aim was to design functional structures rather than ornamental ones.  

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe

 MR 10 chair & MR 20 armchair

These chairs were inspired from Mart Stam, who invented the idea of cantilevered chairs. Mies Van Der Rohe was encouraged to improve on this idea and he actually designed it better. The original idea of Stam was with angular and straight pipes, also with “ugly” sockets. So he designed them into more clean and curvy forms, keeping the idea of tubular steel. He also took inspiration of the tubular steel from the Bauhaus from Marcel Breuer.  The technique to achieve those interesting curvatures is the moulding iron piping. These chairs offers good comfort in seating and are safe to use. These two chairs were exhibited in the Weissenhof exhibition.
These chairs were one of the first steel furniture that was being made at that time. The idea of cantilevered chairs made a huge impact on the 20^th century furniture designs. If we take a look around us nowadays, we notice that the ideas of tubular steel and cantilevered chairs are still being designed. 

Mart Stem's Cantilevered chair.

MR10 Chair - 1927

MR20 Armchair - 1927

The Barcelona Pavilion

The Barcelona Pavilion was part of the modern movement, which was built after the WWI. It was originally designed for the King and Queen of Spain, as a resting place. Its structure is very simple and quite effective with the materials used. The materials used are: Roman travertine, golden Onyx marble, Green Alphine marble, ancient green marble from Greece, glass and steel. With all these materials, the pavilion forms its own elegance in a unique and simple way. The pavilion was designed on a grid system which gives alignments of the floor tiles and other things such as the placement of the marble partitions. That statute there is at corner in water is the focal point of the Pavilion, as it can be appreciated from various angles such as from the reflections of the marble steel and water. 

Barcelona Pavilion - Interior

Barcelona Pavilion - Statue reflections on the materials.

Barcelona Pavilion - Interior

Barcelona Pavilion - Interior

Barcelona Pavilion - Exterior

Barcelona Pavilion Plan

At the moment we have an assignment about visualization on 3Ds Max using a Vray plugin to render.  The requirement of this assignment is to assign materials to a ready modelled Barcelona Pavilion. This is to show our knowledge in the software and how well on can observe. Doing this assignment I observed every detail of the pavilion through reference images which helped me out find the materials and assigned them to the 3D model. I also noticed and observed well the reflections the materials have in order to imitate the best visuals possible. I have to say that this assignment made me appreciate the importance of the materials in interiors/exteriors.

The following images are my renders without sky or editing. 

Render 1

Render 2

Render 3

Alongside with this assignment we also had to assign materials to the iconic Barcelona chair, which had to be rendered in a photographic studio. This chair was also designed for the Barcelona Pavilion also by Mies Van Der Rohe, and is still in production nowadays. The simplicity of the chair can also be seen through the materials and its effectiveness.

Original Barcelona Chair

My Barcelona Chair Render.

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References:

Vitra Design Museum, n.d. MR 10 Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe. [online] Available at: http://www.design-museum.de/en/collection/100-masterpieces/detailseiten/mr-10-ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe.html [Accessed 26th May 2016].

Mies van der Rohe Society Illinois Institute of Technology, n.d. Legacy MIES: THE MAN, THE LEGACY. [online] Available at: http://www.miessociety.org/legacy/ [Accessed 26 May].

Knoll Studio, n.d. MR Chair Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ca. 1927. [online] Available at: http://www.knoll.com/product/mr-chair%3Fsection=Design [Accessed 26 May 2016].

Andrew Kroll, 2011, AD Classics: Barcelona Pavilion / Mies van der Rohe. [online] Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/109135/ad-classics-barcelona-pavilion-mies-van-der-rohe [Accessed 26 May 2016].

Mies BCN, n.d. The Pavilion. [online] Available at: http://miesbcn.com/the-pavilion/ [Accessed 26 May 2016].

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.

Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus

Walter Gropius

Walter Gropius was born in Berlin in 1883. His father was an architect and he followed his career and became an architect from the Technische Hochschule in Munich. He became a member of the Deutscher Werkbund around 1907, and then he designed a model factory for it in Cologne, 1914. This was important structure for the materials used, which were glass and steel. These materials made the structure important and showed the expression of Modernism. In 1919, he founded the Bauhaus and started a new era in design.  Later in his life around 1937, he moved to America where he became an architectural lecturer in the Harvard University of the US.  

Walter Gropius.

The Fagus factory

The Fugus factory was built in 1911, it was considered to be one of the first buildings to be a Modernist. The materials used for the building were; glass, steel and bricks. One could notice the amount of glass used as a structure, which was designed as it is to let a good amount of natural daylight to enter which allows the interiors to have fresh air at the same time it offers pleasant working conditions and environment, which both were considered when it was being designed. It was also designed this way to meet interesting aesthetics. Another important approach in the design of the structure was to be functional.

The entrance to the Fagus Factory

The interior of the Fagus Factory.

Model Making Assignment

At the moment, for a model making assignment, I’m making a model of a modern villa. My main idea was to create something modernistic and simple. While doing the research I noticed that my model has a lot of similarities in the design to the Fagus Factory. This is because my model consists of vertical and horizontal lines throughout. Also my main idea was that the structure should have more glass rather than concrete or bricks, and this was one of the main ideas of the Fagus Factory. 

My Model of the model making assignment.

The Bauhaus

The Bauhaus started in Germany as a school of Arts and Design in 1919. Bauhaus means ‘building house’. It was founded by Walter Gropius. He directed and educated in the Bauhaus. The idea behind the Bauhaus was to introduce new ideas into creation of beautiful, functional things, more specifically the idea of modernism. The Bauhaus has made a huge impact in Europe and also in the United States, mostly on technology and society. It was a good influence to architects and designers by the use of different materials and techniques. Its aim was to introduce a mixture of art and design together and that products look aesthetically pleasing. The Bauhaus offered various courses, starting from the preliminary to more advanced courses, which also gave the opportunity to students to work in their preferred workshops to create their designs.

 

The Bauhaus School

A student who studied in the Bauhaus was the famous Marcel Breuer, who is mostly known for his chairs in tubular steel. He took carpentry and textiles as his preferred workshop in Bauhaus. His first chair designs during his studies in the Bauhaus were the African chair and the Slatted chair. Both were made in textiles and wood.

African Chair 1921

Slatted Chair 1924

Later Breuer became the head of the carpentry of the Bauhaus and after few years there he moved to Dessau and designed his first tubular steel chair (B3) in 1925. This chair offers comfortable seating, inexpensive materials which are lightweight and strong, and very clean and simple design. The fabric for the chair is what makes it most comfortable as it is serving as a cushion or a spring. This chair became an icon and is still influencing the industry nowadays. If one observes well this chair might notice that it has some similarities to the African chair. 

B3 Tubular Steel Chair - 1925

References:

NHS Evidence, 2003. National Library of Guidelines. [online] Available at: <http://www.library.nhs.uk/guidelinesFinder> [Accessed 10 October 2009].

Alexandra Griffith Winton, MET Museum, 2007. The Bauhaus, 1919–1933. [online] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm [Accessed May 2016].

Denim Pascucci, 2015. AD Classics: Fagus Factory / Walter Gropius + Adolf Meyer. [online] Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/612249/ad-classics-fagus-factory-walter-gropius-adolf-meyer [Accessed 22 May 2016].

Vitra Design Museum, n.d. B3,Wassily - Marcel Breuer. [online] Available at: http://www.design-museum.de/en/collection/100-masterpieces/detailseiten/b3wassily-marcel-breuer.html  [Accessed 22 May 2016].

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.

Peter Behrens and AEG

Peter Behrens

The pioneer Peter Behrens was an important industrial designer in the history of design. He was an artistic advisor for AEG starting in 1907. His main responsibilities to the company were to design its whole identity including the logo. He was also designing kettles, clocks, fans and other electrical stuff for the AEG company, including its factories’ buildings. He was influenced by Jugenstil. Before he worked for AEG, he began designing modern furniture in 1898 and his furniture work was exhibited in Munich where he started to gain popularity. He started as an artist and illustrator and then became a designer and self-taught architect, who also designed the most known Turbine Factory in Berlin. Behrens was a good influence to Walter Gropius (who founded the Bauhaus) as they worked together for about three years. 

Behrens didn’t really like the idea that everything that was being mass produced has no artistic values. He still wanted to design products for mass production, but with better ideas and a touch of harmony, and because of this, the idea of mass production was changed for good. 

"Design is not about decorating functional forms - it is about creating forms that accord with the character of the object and that show new technologies to advantage." – Peter Behrens.

AEG Fan.

The AEG Company

The AEG company was one of the first to produce electronics products in Germany. It was founded by Emil Rathenau, who was an industrial designer. In 1910 the AEG company had about 10,000 workers employed.  It is a company that made huge technological progress by its constantly new inventions. It is still in business today and still very popular for its high quality products. AEG aim was to produce/creates technological products for everyone. They wanted to produce products in a way to meet people’s needs and wants, which their designs attracts everyone and no one would fear to use them because of the fact that they were something new to the society/world.

This image explains well how the AEG logo developed through the years.
(Including Behrens logos for the AEG)

Advances in the AEG Company

As said before, AEG is still producing electronic products, mostly household items. The kettle below [Figure 1] is a result of the progression there was from the beginning till now, which contrasts a lot from the old kettle that Behrens had designed to the ones which are being designed today. Comparing the two kettles; they still kept the same idea to create products functional and the new kettle [Figure 1] shows the progress in design and technology. It is very practical and efficient to use as it boils a cup of water in just a minute.
The electric kettle designed by Behrens [Figure 2], was considered to be very slow to boil water. It is said that it boils water slower than a kettle on a stove with gas. The materials are also of huge differences and improvement of how they changed their use. This comparison counts to other products as well, as every product has gone through advances in the AEG company and also goes for any other electrical companies today. 

[Figure 2] Electric Kettle by Peter Behrens (1909)

[Figure 1] New AEG Kettle

References:

Rory Stott, 2016. Spotlight: Peter Behrens [online] Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/619290/spotlight-peter-behrens [Accessed 21 May 2016].

MoMA, n.d Peter Behrens. Electric Kettle. 1909. [online] Available at: http://www.moma.org/collection/works/2190?locale=en. [Accessed 21 May 2016].

Which?, n.d. AEG 7 Series EWA7800 kettle overview [online] Available at: http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/aeg-7-series-ewa7800. [Accessed 21 May 2016].

AEG, n.d. The father of industral design [online] Available at: http://www.aeg.com/en/About-AEG/History/ [Accessed 21 May 2016].

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.

Art Deco

Art Deco started years later the Art Nouveau movement, starting in the 1920’s, which was kind of continuation of the Art Nouveau. Art deco is known to be a decorative style. It is not as decorative as the Art Nouveau, but it is more focused on geometric and straight lines. Art Deco was firstly originated in France and took its name from the World fair (International Exhibition of Modern and Industrial Decorative Arts) in Paris in 1925. . It took it inspiration and influences from; Egyptian Art, tribal art, Surrealism, Futurism, Constructivism, Neo-Classicism, popular culture, Modern Movement, Cubism and geometric abstractions. Art Deco design was being utilized on typography, paintings, wallpapers, furniture, architecture, etc. this movement continued to spread in Europe, especially in Britain and then in America.

Materials that were often used in interiors are; ivory, shagreen, ebony, wood, tortoise-shell, leather, lacquer, Bakelite and enamels. The materials were used to create luxurious contrasting colours into the interiors. 

The Chrysler Building.

The Chrysler building is an important building in Art Deco and it is considered to be the iconic building for America’s Art Deco style, it was designed by architect William Van Alen. The materials of the structure are steel, and bricks. It has 5,000 windows. It gives a feature of automobile feel on its designs. On the upper part of the building it has stainless steel eagles which are situated on each corner of the building. That sunburst pattern it has, at the top part of the building is showing the Art Deco style in a unique and interesting way.

Its interior does really compliment with its exterior as it is fully decorated with that sunburst pattern which can be seen throughout. Not sure about which materials were used, but they were used in a very interesting and decorative way which gives the interior importance and wealthy look, that also makes it very Art Deco.

Chrysler Building

Close up of the top part of the building.

A steel eagle

Chrysler Building interior image 1

Chrysler Building interior image 2

Chrysler Building interior image 3

Bialetti Coffee Maker 

An interesting product that was inspired from Art Deco is the Bialetti Coffee maker. The inspiration can be visible on the geometric forms it has with those repetitive symmetrical, straight lines all around the coffee maker. This was designed by Renato Bialetti, around the 1930’s. It was specifically designed for Italian families who are known for their love to coffee. An interesting fact is that almost every Italian family has one of these in their house. The reason to being this popular is that it was one of the first coffee makers and it does its function very well apart from its appealing appearance. 

Bialetti Coffee Maker

A Modern Coffee Maker (Comparison with Bialetti Coffee Maker) 

While doing some research about this Bialetti coffee maker, I found a new designed coffee maker which looks a bit similar to the Bialetti’s form. It was designed by a product designer named Lina Fischer. This is named as ‘Kahva’ and is very similar to the hour glass, as in its form. Although the Bialetti coffee maker is a timeless product and is mainly inspired from Art Deco, the Kahva coffee maker has a modern look with no Art Deco relations. It was designed mainly to be functional and ergonomically correct. The Kahva coffee maker has a mixture of materials which the main ones are the stainless steel and glass. Both materials do their function well, in terms of functionality. While the Bialetti coffee maker is made of stainless steel and plastic, which both materials express elegance to the design itself. 

The Kahva Coffee Maker

The Kahva Coffee Maker - Illustrations

References:

Victoria and Albert Museum, n.d. Art Deco. [online] Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/a/art-deco/ [Accessed 18th May 2016].

Anthony James, 2008. Yanko Design. Available at: http://www.yankodesign.com/2008/03/25/coffee-making-magic/ [Accessed 18 May 2016].

Bialetti, n.d. about us. [online] Available at: https://www.bialetti.com/ [Accessed 18 May 2016]. 

Ireland J., 2009. History of Interior Deisgn. America: Fairchild Publications.

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.

Art Nouveau

About Art Nouveau 

Art Nouveau happened around 1880’s originated in England, mostly inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. Other influences of this movement were Rococo, Celtic art, Japanese art, Egyptian Art, Gothic Revival and also nature. Whiplash curves, decoration, few or no straight lines, etc. are some of the main characteristics of the Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau is the original name, but the name was changed within different countries in Europe and also in America, for example in Germany it was called as ‘Jugenstil’ which means young style, in Austria it was called as ‘Sezessionstil’, in Italy it was called as ‘Stile Liberty’, in Spain it was called as ‘Modernista’ while in America it was known as the ‘Tiffany Style’. Other countries specific designers were known for the Art Nouveau Movement such as in Belgium, Victor Horta was known at this time. All different countries were anticipating the same Art Nouveau style but still have different influences, maybe from their country’s culture… Around this time everything was designed with style from small furniture products to interiors and exteriors of villas, etc. 

Tassel House 

Tassel House Facade 

A good example of an Art Nouveau interior is the Tassel House by the famous Belgian architect and designer, Victor Horta. It was built in 1893 during the era of Art Nouveau. It is made up of most important design principles in Art Nouveau.

Tassel House Interior

Tassel House Interior

Tassel House Interior

The façade of the Tassel house will immediately be noticed that it has an interesting decorative element, which is a good example of the Art Nouveau movement. Although the decorative element on the interior of the house, is way more exposed rather than the exterior. A particular element which is mostly visible on the interior and the façade is the whiplashed curves. This can be seen on different materials and things such as the wallpapers, ironwork, floorings, etc. One will notice that the iron work is the most used element & material in this house as it is shown throughout the interior of this house. 

Influences/Inspirations of Art Nouveau Today

While searching through the web about Art Nouveau, I found that some interior designers are still getting inspired from Art Nouveau. Some might be designing in a modern way but still include a small touch of Art Nouveau element. Most designers use the whiplash curves as a main inspiration of the Art Nouveau which was one of the main design elements of the style. So, I included some images of the modern interiors which are clearly showing the inspiration of the style. An interesting thing might be the fact that they still use the same particular materials that were used during that era. In my opinion this gives the modern interiors a wealthy and stylish look.

Emile Galle

Emile Galle was a French glass designer born in 1846, in France. He followed his father’s steps after continuing working on glass making. He was associated with Ecole De Nancy, an important working place where he used to work for. This company was particularly producing glass and also furniture, mostly related with the Art Nouveau movement. Emile Galle had become popular and successful for his glassware during the Paris exhibition in the 1878. His glass experiments were called as “marqueterie de verre de verre” which means “marquetry of glass”.  Characteristics of his glassware are floral and natural forms, such as flowers, vines, insects (particularly dragonfly) and fruits. These characteristics can all be found in the Art Nouveau. Within the company Ecole de Nancy the role of craftsmanship was important and employed around 300 people. 

Crocus Vase - Emile Galle

References:

Ireland J., 2009. History of Interior Deisgn. America: Fairchild Publications.

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.

Victoria and Albert Museum, n.d. Art Nouveau. [online] Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/a/art-nouveau/ [Accessed 11 May 2016].

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016. Emile Galle. [Online]. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/biography/Emile-Galle [Accessed 11 May 2016]

The Arts and Crafts Movement

Short Introduction

The Arts & Crafts Movement was one of the most influential movements. It emerged in Britain circa 1880, and then it spread through Europe, America, Japan, etc. It was a start of new ideas.
Some of the characteristics of this movement are; spiritual harmony, honest, simplicity, fidelity to function, national pride, regionalism and individualism. Important persons of this movement were William Morris and John Ruskin. Products of the arts and crafts are normally done by hand. So the arts and crafts movement was a good change in the working conditions for some people as the craftsmanship was given a boost.This movement was focused to produce these following; furniture, textiles, glass/stained glass, wallpaper, pottery, metal objects, interiors and little architecture.

William Morris

William Morris was the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement. Morris was a textile designer, artist, writer and a socialist from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was also trained as an architect and studied theology at Oxford. His dedication was mostly towards patterns and motifs on wallpaper, which made him popular. During the industrial revolution, as mentioned in a previous blog, workers were treated badly and with cheap wages. Therefore Morris wanted to change this; he also didn’t actually like the idea of everything being mass-produced, which as a result the products were insignificant and of no value of art or design.  Some of his inspirations were from John Ruskin’s and from The Pre-Raphaelites. Also he was inspired by nature as could be seen on the wallpapers of leaf motifs he creates. One of his very first projects was the Red House in Bexleyheath, which was previously designed by Philip Webb and then furnished by him and his colleagues. Meanwhile he started his own business which was called Morris & Co., and it's still running as retail company.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

― William Morris

Wallpaper design by William Morris

Red House 1859

This house was very important for the Arts and Crafts movement and was one of the very first projects for William Morris. It was also very influential for the next half century. It was built and designed specifically for William Morris which was furnished by himself and his colleagues and designed by his friend Philip Webb. The principles of the house’s design were focused on the family’s needs, so it was designed functional and aesthetically pleasing. This house included; Pre-Raphaelite style embroideries/fabric, murals, wallpapers, painted furniture and stained glass. This project of Morris’s house helped him to start off and improve his designs. 

This house is designed in a very simple way, no excessive decorations such as arches, curvatures, etc. were included. It looks as if it's a normal house from the interior and exterior. Obviously, most of the walls are covered in wallpapers, created by Morris himself, this gives a slight difference to the house at that time, while it gives a good use of function when it comes to design in furniture.

Red House - Exterior

Red House - Interior

Red House - Interior - Entrance Hall

References:

Cumming E. and Kaplan W., 2002. The Arts and Crafts Movement. London: Thames & Hudson.

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.

Ireland J., 2009. History of Interior Deisgn. America: Fairchild Publications.

Victoria and Albert Museum, n.d., The Arts & Crafts Movement [online] Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-arts-and-crafts-movement/ [Accessed 27 April 2016]