Bauhaus design chair D40

fabricleatherwalnut

Among all of Marcel Breuer’s iconic designs, the D40 from 1928 holds a special place. You could trace its outlines with your eyes closed. An elegant S-curve describing a slight diagonal in the upper third – the backrest. A dynamic experience that exudes calm. Because every curve of the steel tube is finely balanced. Arch-curve-countercurve: a construction that harmoniously reconciles all contrasts. This was possible due to bent tubular steel – a technology that revolutionised furniture design. And made it lighter than ever before. Marcel Breuer wrote in 1924: “A chair…should not be horizontal/vertical, nor should it be expressionist, nor constructivist,” it should be a “good chair, then it will match a good table.” But people did want to know exactly what a good chair is. Because one thing was certain: Breuer was unwilling to compromise. Hence, the workmanship also had to be of the finest quality. The fabric straps were specially created in Grete Reichert’s own weaving workshop out of multiple twisted cotton threads treated with paraffin for better stability and dirt-resistance and known as “eisengarn” (iron yarn). Even today, the seat and back straps are made of a particularly hard-wearing material. This allows you to feel all the benefits of a “good chair”.