Wassily Chair Buying Guide: From Bauhaus Classics to Modern

Ⅰ.The History of Wassily Chair

Marcel Breuer, the designer of the Wassily Chair, was born in Hungary. He studied at the renowned Bauhaus school and stayed on as a faculty member after graduation. During his time at the Bauhaus, he met design masters such as Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier. Breuer also stood out when it came to furniture design, and everyone around him really looked up to his skills.

Around the 1920s–1930s, the bicycle industry faced overcapacity, leaving large quantities of metal tubes in need of repurposing. Breuer then came up with the idea of using these surplus steel tubes to make chairs. Inspired by handlebars of Adler bicycles, he eventually created the Wassily Chair.

 

 

Alder Bicycles

Its curved steel tube frame, paired with simple, flat fabric backrests and seat cushions, gives the chair a smooth, open, and lightweight structure—elegant yet modern. The chair has smooth steel tubes that are connected with screws, so it’s easy to put together. It’s good for making a lot of them quickly, doesn’t cost too much, and is simple to move around.This chair revolutionized modern interior design and remains one of the most recognizable iconic designs in the modern furniture movement.

 

 

Marcel Breuer and his Wassily Chair

 

From the early stages of the Wassily Chair’s design, the artist Wassily Kandinsky expressed his love for the piece, so Breuer specially gifted Kandinsky a prototype chair, which the great artist placed it in his home. And this gesture became a testament to their deep friendship—later, the chair was named after Wassily Kandinsky.

  

Wassily Kandinsky, a artist known for his artistic theories and innovation 

Curved steel tubes gave Breuer’s furniture a fresh, modern look. Later, this experimental approach extended beyond chairs to include tables, serving carts, and other furniture, maximizing the potential and aesthetic value of steel tubes as a furniture material. Breuer described his design of the Wassily Chair as “The most influential piece of design”.

 

Wassily chairs in the Bauhaus of Dessau

 

Ⅱ.Product Breakdown

1. Key Design Features

• Sleek, Smooth Lines: The Wassily Chair uses steel tubes as its main structural material. Through bending and welding, it achieves sleek, smooth lines that lend the chair a modern, industrial aesthetic.
• Suspended Cushion Design: A groundbreaking innovation—replacing traditional flat seats with suspended, supportive cushions. This design not only makes the chair look lighter but also enhances user comfort.
• Geometric Composition: The seat cushion, backrest, and armrests are all flat, creating a contrast with the curved steel tubes. This shows the way modern furniture is often shaped with interesting geometric patterns.

2. Design Philosophy

• Innovative Materials & Technology:The chair was one of the first pieces of furniture to use curved steel tubes—a material rarely used in furniture manufacturing at the time. It emphasizes the material’s lightness and flexibility, giving the chair a modern, avant-garde look.
• Minimalist Modern Style: The chair adopts a minimalist modern style, focusing on smooth lines and simple geometric shapes. The combination of straight and curved lines makes it look clean yet stylish
• Ergonomic Comfort: Despite its emphasis on simplicity and lightness, the shape of the seat and backrest still provides excellent comfort and support, adhering to ergonomic principles.

3. Innovations

• Material Innovation: It broke away from the traditional reliance on wood and fabric in furniture, introducing industrial steel tubes into civilian furniture and paving the way for “industrial aesthetics” in furniture design.  
• Structural Innovation: The “frame + suspended cushion” structure replaced traditional solid supports, achieving breakthroughs in lightness and spatial transparency.
• Production Innovation: Modular assembly and standardized parts (e.g., screw connections) enabled mass production, reducing costs and making modern designed furniture more accessible to the public.

4. CMF (Color, Material, Finish)

• Initially, the Wassily Chair featured natural, understated colors, with classic white and black as the main options. As production technology and materials advanced, more color variations emerged, while the steel tube frame retained its metallic finish—such as silver or black.
• The frame of the Wassily Chair is made of curved steel tubes, which is one of its iconic design features. The straps or armrests are typically crafted from textile materials, including canvas, leather, or synthetic leather. The steel tubes are joined together by welding to form a stable structure; the welded joints are usually polished and buffed to ensure they are smooth and free of burrs. For modern versions of the Wassily Chair, the steel tubes also undergo coating treatment. The textile parts, on the other hand, go through processes like sewing, cutting, and surface treatment.

Ⅲ.How to Choose a Wassily Chair

• Points: When selecting a Wassily Chair, you need to check if the joints are smooth and sturdy. Wassily Chairs with shoddy craftsmanship usually have very unstable joints, and such issues will affect the chair's service life.
• Lines: The way the steel tubes are welded really makes a big difference in how good the chair is overall. For a high-quality Wassily Chair, the welds at the curved tube joints are smooth and neat, presenting an "integrated" effect both visually and to the touch. The chair has no visible weld marks, so it looks clean and smooth with nice, sleek line.

 

 

• Surface: The Wassily Chair's price mostly depends on the type of fabric or material used for the upholstery, which can vary quite a bit.

The sheet below is a comparison of common fabrics.

 

We highly recommend canvas and saddle leather, as they are extremely durable and easy to maintain. Most of the upholstery fabrics for PureBau's Wassily Chairs are canvas and saddle leather, offering exceptional value for money. You can visit our link to purchase.

Ⅳ.Styling with the Wassily Chair

1. Industrial Style

The Wassily Chair’s simple, clean lines work really well in industrial-style rooms. Pair it with neutral-colored decor and natural wood floors to really make it stand out. The raw, unfinished look of the industrial style is emphasized by the chair’s sleek design, which adds a touch of sophistication without feeling heavy. A black Wassily Chair makes a strong statement too, bringing a modern vibe to the space. Add small glass accents (e.g., glass coffee tables, glass lamp shades) to enhance the modern vibe.

 

2. Scandinavian Style

The secret to adding energy to a Scandinavian space? A white Wassily Chair. Its straight lines complement Scandinavian comfort without disrupting the style’s core simplicity. Pair the white chair with white walls and lighting for an elegant, bright atmosphere (making small spaces feel larger). Use varying shades of white (e.g., off-white cushions, pure white frame) to create subtle contrast. Add chunky knit throws, linen fabrics, or plush rugs—textural contrasts add depth and interest.

 

3. Memphis Style

Colored Wassily Chairs pair perfectly with Memphis style (known for bold colors and geometric patterns). The chair’s metallic sheen and smooth lines balance Memphis’ “busy” aesthetic. Pair it with patterned rugs and bright, high-saturation artwork to amplify color contrast. The chair’s metal frame matches other metal touches nearby, like the side tables and decorative accents, giving the space a sleek, put-together feel. Its shiny surface catches the light, emphasizing the detailed decor around it and making the room feel more lively and welcoming.

 

4. Japanese Wabi-Sabi Style

The chair’s metal frame matches other metal touches nearby, like the side tables and decorative accents, giving the space a sleek, put-together feel. Its shiny surface catches the light, emphasizing the detailed decor around it and making the room feel more lively and welcoming. For example, a chair with a wood-tone frame and beige canvas cushions complements wood floors and furniture—its metal lines prevent the all-wood space from feeling dull. Its lightweight structure aligns with Wabi-Sabi’s focus on “negative space” and simplicity.

 

 

5. Bohemian Style

Bohemian style celebrates eclectic mixing of spaces and furniture. Create a unique boho vibe with a patterned ethnic rug, green plants, ethnic decor, soft white throws, and a colored Wassily Chair. The chair’s modern shape adds energy and warmth to the space. With mixed colors, contrasting lines, and a balance of minimalism and maximalism—the Wassily Chair is a natural fit for Boho interiors!

 

 

6. Minimalist Style

Minimalism emphasizes “function first” and minimal decor. Try pairing the Wassily Chair with walls in bold, solid colors like gray or beige, and keep the lighting simple with clean shapes. It’s all about that cool, minimalist vibe.The chair adds depth and luxury to the space; its bold shape feels calm (avoiding harshness). A “less is more” furniture arrangement lets the chair’s linear frame shine as a focal point without disrupting the space’s simplicity. With its smooth, stylish design, the Wassily Chair is one of the best choices for minimalist interiors.

 

 No matter what interior style you want to choose, you can find the Wassily Chair that best suits you at PureBau. Visit here for more details.