100 years of Bauhaus: Designer Christian Haas with a new take on classic forms

Form follows function: one of the most important principles of Bauhaus. The school celebrates its centenary in 2019. Its sober shapes and balanced proportions still look surprisingly modern today. Bauhaus style elements also inspired the German designer Christian Haas for the Antheus premium bathroom collection. He created a timelessly elegant collection that defies styles with confidence.

“Many people see Bauhaus as the epitome of modern architecture and minimalist design,” Christian Haas explains, “and quite a few designs from that time still look just as modern now as they did then. That is probably unique in the history of design.” Born in 1974 in Erlangen, the designer was also influenced by the streamlined Bauhaus style while designing the Antheus premium bathroom collection. He created balanced proportions with a minimalistic as well as harmonious effect. “Harmony and interesting proportions account for a large part of a design along with the choice of materials, finish, touch and feel. I incorporate this into all of my designs,“ Haas emphasises.

Harmonious forms, high-quality materials

Rectangles, circles, oblong holes – the starting point for Antheus’ balanced style are basic geometric shapes. This applies to the rectangular washbasin, the round mirror and the long full-length mirror with semi-circular borders and practical storage space. The rigid contours are broken up by details such as the classic washbasin facet that offers an exciting interplay of light and shadow. Constructions made from wide steel strips give the washbasin and the freestanding bath an impression of lightness and are reminiscent of the Barcelona chair designed by Mies van der Rohe, a Bauhaus classic. In addition to the shape, the choice of materials was the key design element for Antheus. According to Haas, “The combination of polished stainless steel, stone, wood and ceramic points to Bauhaus as a source of inspiration, albeit abstract. For me, Antheus is primarily a timeless, product-independent collection with effortless appeal.”

Breaking new ground

In principle, Christian Haas does not see it as a designer’s job to simply repeat existing styles, “In my opinion, a designer today is part of a permanent evolution, which builds on what already exists, looks for inspiration and also integrates new or unconventional aspects.” Bauhaus also built on tradition so far that it radically broke away from it and created something completely new, “Bauhaus consciously broke away from existing conventions and geared itself to forward-looking, enlightened people with its modernity. New production techniques made it possible to implement designs, which up until then were unthinkable,” Haas recalls.

The “colour” white

One of the reasons why Bauhaus has still not lost its modern look is the systematic use of white. As a designer who has created many porcelain and ceramic designs, Christian Haas appreciates the properties of white, “White shows shapes in their full clarity without any distractions or sugarcoating. No other colour is as versatile and full of nuances, dependent on the lighting conditions. White never goes out of fashion and is not polarising. White brings clarity and increases perception.” Regarding Antheus, Haas sees the white ceramic as an intermediary in a trio of materials, “In this collection, Cool metal meets warm wood, with the ceramic acting as an intermediary. Because ceramic has both properties, cool and warm at the same time.”

About the designer

Born in 1974, Christian Haas studied industrial design and now develops product designs for renowned customers all over the world. His spectrum includes furniture, lighting, porcelain and glass items as well as complete interior concepts. Christian Haas has worked with Villeroy & Boch for the Bathroom and Wellness as well as Tableware divisions. Christian Haas has been living and working in Porto since 2015.

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