The professional world was astonished by his discovery: In Krefeld, the architect Karl Amendt found and renovated a Bauhaus classic the true meaning of which had been remaining a secret for about 70 years. That is because the former owners, textile manufacturers Karl and Milly Heusgen, for a long time and in all modesty had kept it a secret that the object completed in 1933 had been designed by Bauhaus pioneer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Many years ago already, when Karl Amendt rather casually passed by and saw the mansion for the first time, he had the suspicion that the “authorship“ went back to the famous Bauhaus architect. The “Dessauer Schule“ with the dispensing with rounding-off and embellishments is unmistakable.
Typical trademarks such as the clear structure of lines, the stretched band of fenestration, the main entrance drawn back into a recess with the door storey-high and many more details speak the language of shapes being part of Bauhaus philosophy. There is proof that the object is one “of the very few realized dwelling houses of the White Modernity“, as an expert opinion from the year 2002 confirmed.
Consistent Structure of Lines Including the Bathroom Faucets
The equipment of the bathroom perfectly fits into this picture. Its renovation was performed under the premise that here as well up-to-date modern technology had to be in harmony with classic elegance without frills. The goal to find the elegance of the traditional language of shapes in combination with high-end functionality and durability in one faucet was achieved with the choice of the clearly-structured GROHE “Atrio“ line.
The symbiosis of formally consistent column geometry and state-of-the-art technology convinced the architect: “My choice simply was ‘Atrio‘ as I could be sure that the aesthetics correspond with the ‘spirit of Mies van der Rohe‘. The unobtrusive design stresses the unpretentious architectural style.“ The faucets at the tub and the wash-basins are based on just one basic shape, the cylinder. Embellishments and decorations here as well – as in the entire building – remain discreetly reserved. In the process, the three-wing handle of the “Atrio“ version “Ypsilon“ is a re-interpretation of the traditional star handle being part of the archetype of a water dispenser. This exactly provides the very clearness consistently determining Mies van der Rohe’s design.
