A rare and iconic 1930s B12 console or side table, made from tubular steel and wood, designed by Marcel Breuer in 1928. This model is no longer in production. The distinctive feature of the B12 is the fact that the lower shelf is longer than the upper shelf.
Breuer felt that these revolutionalry tubular frame and wood designs were the key to make a room look more modern. These pieces of furniture look almost just ''sketched'' into a room and don't block the view nor hinder movement. And how right he was. A lot of his designs are still loved and fit in stylish contemporary interiors with a minimalist touch. As does the B12.
To own a Marcel Breuer table is especially desirable for Bauhaus enthusiasts and interior designers. It makes one feel connected to the bold and groundbreaking ideas that emerged from the Bauhaus movement. Marcel Breuer's vision still inspires to embrace the spirit of modernism and the harmonious blend of art and function. Breuer was also greatly influenced by the Dutch De Stijl group (Gerrit Rietveld. Mondriaan etc)
Marcel Lajos Breuer (21 May 1902 – 1 July 1981), was a Hungarian-German modernist architect and furniture designer. He moved to the United States in 1937 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1944. Marcel Breuer trained at the Bauhaus, a radical arts and crafts school that Walter Gropius had founded in Weimar just after the First World War. Gropius soon recognized his talent and placed him at the head of the Bauhaus workshop. From 1925, Breuer started expanding his skills from woodworking to combining wood with tubular steel. His inspiration for using the new material is said to have been bicycle handlebars. In a short period of time, Breuer designed a whole collection of furniture, furnished the new Bauhaus building and Walter Gropius’ Master Houses. He established a business named Standard-Möbel in Berlin which dealt with the production and distribution of tubular steel furniture.
The B12 design is documented in: Thonet tubular steel furniture catalogue, 1930/31; M. Droste, M. Ludewig, Marcel Breuer, Bauhaus Archives, Cologne 1992, p. 93, p. 154
Feel free to ask for a personal quote including shipping
Creator
Marcel Breuer
Design Period
1928
Production Period
1928 - 1960s
Country of Manufacture
Germany
Identifying Marks
No
Style
Bauhaus, Art Deco, Modernist
Detailed Condition
Good — Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. The table good shape and structurally sound. It has been lightly restored by a professional, with a dedicated respect to its originality, leaving some signs of the time visible. Only visible up close, these give the table its charm and character..
