The Bauhaus Influence on Global Hotel Lobby Aesthetics

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The Impact of the Bauhaus Art Movement on Modern Hotel Design

The Bauhaus art movement was founded (1883-1969) by Walter Gropius, a German architect in the Weimar city in 1919. The Bauhaus art movement was based on a radical concept that aimed at unifying all arts by reimaging the material world. It is worth noting that Gropius, in the Proclamation of the Bauhaus in 1919 introduced the concept to the “union of art and design” (Griffith Winton, 2007).

Bauhaus art movement was guild of utopian craft that combined into a single creative expression the sculpture, painting and architecture. The development of a curriculum based on craft by Gropius played a significant role in turning designers and artisans into creative expressionists with the ability to create beautiful and useful objects. The Bauhaus art movement embodied both elements of design and arts education (Griffith Winton, 2007). Through this movement, the students were able to engage into specialized workshops, for instance textile workshop, cabinetmaking, typography, weaving, metalworking, and wall painting.

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It is through these specialized workshops that Bauhaus art movement influenced immensely in the hotel and hotel lobby design as will be illustrated in the subsequent paragraphs with reference to Ku’ Damm hotel in Berlin and 12 Decades Art Hotel in Johannesburg.

Modernism in Hotel Lobby Designs

It is imperative to note that the Bauhaus art movement was a great movement towards modernism especially in the hotel and hotel lobby designs. The impacts of the Bauhaus art movement is evident in the hotel and hotel lobby designs of various hotels for instance, Ku’ Damm hotel in Berlin. The Ku’ Damm hotel is situated in the Berlin’s Western part, and its lobby design takes the form of a spaceship.

It is important to point at the inspiration of the Bauhaus arts movement in the design of this hotel embodied in the architectural works of Le Corbusier. The Ku’ Damm hotel designed by the Swiss exemplified the Bauhaus art movement in terms of its “space.” The Ku’ Damm hotel’s architectural work included bold and simple lines that gave the hotel the accent to help in the definition of its space. The chairs in the Ku’ Damm hotel were spot colored, with rooms that were very spacious (Travels of Adam, 2014).

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Upon entry into Western side of Berlin, the Ku’ Damm hotel is a major tourist hotspot, especially, via Tegel Airport because of its cool and convenient design. The hotel also exemplifies the Bauhaus art movement inspiration in its lobby design that provides a mix of columns, curves and furniture. This lobby design of the Ku’ Damm hotel is delightful and interesting in terms of its space. The columns in some of the Ku’ Damm hotel rooms enhance private spaces as well as little nooks (Travels of Adam, 2014).

Scenic Elements and Functional Design

It is imperative to point at the impact of the Bauhaus art movement in the Ku’ Damm hotel design. The rooftop of the Ku’ Damm hotel wins the admiration to a number of tourists. The hotel’s rooftop serves as a venue for breakfast every morning. The scenic beauty of the rooftop is embodied in the wrapping around the entire roof from the floor o the rooftop to the ceiling. The design of the rooftop also provides a balcony for relaxation during warm weather. It is also significant to note that the design of the rooftop also harbors scenic beehives that supply honey to the hotel (Travels of Adam, 2014).

Case Study: 12 Decades Art Hotel

The impact of the Bauhaus art movement in the hotel and hotel lobby design is also evident in the 12 Decades Art Hotel in Johannesburg. The contribution is evident in the designs of the rooms, developed by dokter and misses “minehaus”, who were furniture designers.

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The interior designs of the hotel walls and furniture exemplified the Bauhaus art movement in the use of metal forms, angular wood and primary colors. The 12 Decades Art Hotel design also embodied the Bauhaus art movement in the creation of plywood box in the hotel rooms. The box of plywood resonates well in the hotel rooms giving the rooms a sense of coziness. The coziness is enhanced by the spread of gold objects in the entire room (Designboom, 2014).

Conclusion

The Bauhaus art movement was a radical concept that unified all arts by reimaging the material world. The Bauhaus art movement was thus, a great movement towards modernism especially in the hotel and hotel lobby designs.