Used Bauhaus classics at 2nd home currently cost between roughly 165 euros for a cantilever chair and about 14,600 euros for rare collector armchairs (as of September 2026). Cantilevers mostly sit between 165 and 1,550 euros, side and dining tables between 235 and 3,750 euros, with big names like the Barcelona Chair or Wassily well above. You will find more than 170 available pieces in the Bauhaus design collection and among the Bauhaus armchairs.

What makes a piece of furniture Bauhaus?

The Bauhaus was a school, not a brand: founded in Weimar in 1919, later in Dessau and Berlin, closed in 1933. In those fourteen years a design language emerged that radically reduces furniture to its function, tubular steel instead of carving, plane instead of ornament. The famous designs by Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Wilhelm Wagenfeld are still produced in licensed series today, and that is exactly what the most important question in second-hand buying hangs on.

The key classics at a glance

• Wassily (B3) by Marcel Breuer, mid-nineteen-twenties: the first tubular steel seat of its kind, today licensed to Knoll.
• Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, designed in 1929 for the German Pavilion at the Barcelona World Exhibition, also with Knoll.
• Cantilever chairs after Mart Stam and Marcel Breuer (S 32, S 64), in series at Thonet to this day; more on our page about the Thonet cantilevers.
• Wagenfeld lamp (WG 24), the glass table lamp from the Bauhaus workshop, made today by Tecnolumen.

Original, licence or style: the decisive difference

There are three categories in Bauhaus buying. Historical originals from before 1933 are museum-rare and traded via provenance. Licensed editions from the authorised producers such as Knoll, Thonet or Tecnolumen are the classics you actually find on the vintage market: they carry maker's marks, embossings or signatures and hold their value. Bauhaus-style furniture without a licence is everyday furniture, often solid, but without collector value. The price difference between licence and style is substantial, and the marking decides.

How do you recognise licensed originals?

• Marking: Knoll signs and embosses its classics, Thonet marks the frame, Tecnolumen numbers its lamps. If every mark is missing, be careful.
• Workmanship: Even bending radii, clean welding points, an intact chrome layer and neatly sewn leather. Thin, light tubing and sharp edges are style signals.
• Proportions: The geometry of the classics is documented and has not changed. A comparison with the maker's current programme exposes most copies.

What do Bauhaus classics cost second hand?

Real ranges from our active listings (as of September 2026):

• Cantilever chairs: 165 to 1,550 euros, most around 350 euros
• Tables and side tables: 235 to 3,750 euros
• Armchair classics: 470 to 14,590 euros, most around 3,300 euros
• Barcelona Chair: currently 4,790 to 7,840 euros

Price drivers are the licensed maker, the age of the edition, the condition of leather and chrome, and complete markings.

The checklist before buying

1. Look for the marking: embossing, signature or label from Knoll, Thonet or Tecnolumen, usually on the frame or under the seat.
2. Check the chrome: bubbles and rust cannot be polished away; an even shine speaks for quality.
3. Leather and cane: patina is good, cracks and frayed edges lower the price.
4. Compare proportions: check photos against the maker's current programme, the geometry does not lie.
5. Ask about provenance: an invoice, previous ownership or dealer history makes a piece more reliable and more stable in value.

Bauhaus or Mid-Century: drawing the line

The two terms are often mixed up, but they mean different eras: Bauhaus is the interwar modernism of Weimar and Dessau, Mid-Century the post-war design that builds on it. A cantilever chair is Bauhaus heritage, a Panton chair is Mid-Century. If you are really after the second wave, you will find it among the icons of Mid-Century and Space Age design.

Combining Bauhaus

Bauhaus classics are surprisingly sociable: a Wassily next to warm teak, a cantilever at an old dining table, the contrast carries. If you are hunting specifically, the protagonists' designs live in the Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe collections, and the design history behind them is told on our page about Bauhaus design.

Frequently asked questions

Are used licensed classics a good investment?
Well-kept pieces from the licensed makers are remarkably stable in value, because the designs continue unchanged and demand is constant.

My piece has no marking. What now?
Then workmanship, proportions and origin decide. At 2nd home, curation checks every piece before release and describes its classification honestly.

Is a cantilever chair automatically Bauhaus?
No. The principle comes from the Bauhaus circle, but has been built in every quality level for decades. Licence and marking make the difference.

Should chrome or paint be restored?
Gentle cleaning yes, radical re-chroming only as an exception: it costs substance and often the marking.