From Attitude to Form – What Connects Us to the Bauhaus

(Source: Bauhaus Foundation, Dessau)

100 years of the Bauhaus—a moment of joy for us – because at ZAUNKÖNIG® we feel a deep connection to the design principles and ideas that revolutionized architecture and design 100 years ago.

We work with simple, clear geometric forms; we respect the material and our environment. Simplicity over excess. Order over chance. Even though this results in beautiful products, for us it is not merely an aesthetic choice – but an expression of a philosophy.

Bauhaus – the idea behind the form

Form follows function – this phrase is well-known. Behind it, however, lies an attitude and a responsible view of society.

The designers at the Bauhaus sought a universal design language. They reduced things to the essentials. They worked with basic shapes like the circle, square, and triangle because these are understandable – across cultural boundaries.

Form should not decorate. Form should serve. Design not as a surface, but as a system. As a connection between function, material, and idea.

What inspires us most: the commitment to placing design within a larger context. Design at the Bauhaus was never detached from society, technology, or resources. It was always also about the question: How do we want to live? We ask ourselves this question again today – perhaps more urgently than ever.

When we design, we make decisions: What becomes visible? What is simplified? What remains hidden?

Clarity as a Principle

Even though we really like minimalist spaces and appreciate the principle of Slow Living, there is more at stake when we work with clear forms. For us, minimalism is not an end in itself. It is about organizing complexity. Making content visible. Providing orientation.

We don’t design minimally to appear reduced. We reduce to be understandable.

A clear form creates space: for meaning, for use, for people.

Form follows function

Every product we’ve designed so far began with its use – not its appearance. How does a child stand safely? How does a hand reach for a cup? How does an object feel in everyday life? The form then emerges from these questions.

Radii, surfaces, proportions—everything has its reason.

Thus, our 3-in-1 Learning Tower is conceived as a durable companion that children and adults intuitively understand—clearly constructed, growing with the user, without anything superfluous. Our porcelain also follows this idea: reduced forms, calm geometries, intuitive and universally usable.

Authentic, true, transparent

At the Bauhaus, genuine materials were meant to reflect the true nature of objects and buildings. For us, too, materials are allowed and meant to reveal what they are. This makes connections visible and materials tangible.

Because: For us, quality arises precisely where you can see and feel it.

We therefore always consider design in the context of resources. Fewer parts, clear constructions, thoughtful use of materials. No more than necessary – but everything that’s needed.

And above all: no extra embellishment, no “more,” just to make things prettier. Things are allowed to be good just as they are.

What remains

We don’t think of products as variations on what already exists, but as principles that simplify our lives. They aren’t trends; they are long-lasting solutions.

Perhaps this is our closest connection to the Bauhaus: the conviction that design is good when it is clear—in form, in material, in its simplicity, and in the conscious use of resources.

And that this is precisely where its strength lies.

ZAUNKÖNIG®. For things that last.