A student of architecture, Walter Gropius began his career working in the studio of utilitarian architect Peter Behrens. Working alongside the likes of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Dietrich Marcks, Gropius went on to establish the ground-breaking Bauhaus school in 1919. Prioritising functionality and honesty in both materials and form, the Bauhaus aspired to democratise design so that it could be available to all.

Noted for his functionalist approach to design, Walter Gropius pioneered modern architectural materials and techniques and is the architect behind the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Impington Village College and the MetLife Building in New York. Best known for his iconic buildings, at rare intervals throughout his career Gropius turned his skilled hand towards furniture, and his incredibly revolutionary F51 Armchair remains a classic today.

Designed by Walter Gropius for his office as director of Bauhaus Weimar in 1920, the F51 Armchair, also known as the Gropius Armchair, in black ash with red upholstery has been meticulously recreated by Tecta and is exclusively available in the UK at The Conran Shop.

Featuring a solid black-lacquered ash frame, which supports a cushioned seat, the chair is upholstered with soft cavalry cloth in a vibrant red hue, typical of early Bauhaus experiments with primary colours.

A strikingly cubist design, the F51 Armchair is one of the earliest examples of cantilevered technology, a method that has become synonymous with the Bauhaus.