Frequently Asked Questions
How much is shipping?
We ship for free! Curbside appointment or ground shipping is included the cost of our product. If you need an inside delivery or set-up, please ask for a White Glove quote.
Do you charge tax?Bauhaus 2 Your House charges sales tax only on orders from the State of Florida.
Can I see fabric or leather samples?
We have upholstery and finish samples for your review – just ask, or send your request to info@bauhaus2yourhouse.com
Do you have a trade program?
We do! You'll find it here.
What is the lead time on your products?
They vary – some items are in-stock and available for immediate shipping. Custom or made-to-order product will take 8 – 12 weeks, with a few exceptions. We note the lead time or order confirmations; if you have any questions, please call.
Where is your product manufactured?
Most of our goods come from Italy, although we work with factories in Holland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. We do not source from Asia, or use Asian-made components.
Are these originals?
The only “originals” are the primary piece or pieces from which versions or copies were made, and today, they’re mostly in museums or private collections. We sell reproductions of original designs, like everyone else. We sell licensed reproductions of pieces by Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, and Pierre Paulin, among others, and are an authorized dealer for companies including Tecta, Artifort, Midj, Alivar, Casprini, Magis, and Sintesi.
I want to make sure I get a quality item, are these licensed reproductions?
Some are licensed, some are not. Designers who worked for large companies produced work for hire that may (or may not) carry a license. Designs of a certain age are in the public domain. Other items may have been custom-made at the time for a specific client, or existed as drawings only. Some pieces are obscure designs rescued from the dustbin of history by vendors who want to keep a design or tradition alive and enjoyed. Bauhaus 2 Your House sells high quality European-made pieces that maintain the integrity of the original designs in scale and dimensions, and compare favorably to their more expensive counterparts.
I don’t understand, does that mean they’re knock-offs?
Hardly, but this is a word used by some companies to describe anything that someone else is allowed to sell. A knock-off typically bears only a passing resemblance to the original design (a two-seat “Barcelona,” for example) or uses wildly different materials (a plastic Saarinen tulip base). But even Corbusier’s well-loved LC2 and LC3 series were translations of his lounge chairs by another designer, twenty-some years after he created them.
There is little information about modern classics and how they have evolved. To assume that whatever Knoll, Cassina, Fritz Hansen, Herman Miller and others are currently producing is the gold standard, and that these companies are duplicating the original design is simply untrue. A license means that a company has a license to make the pieces the way they were originally made. However, nearly all of the pieces have evolved over time, either due to problems with the early designs, modern production techniques and materials, or a desire to keep costs down.
We respect the original version of the modern classics to the degree we can using materials and techniques that are available today. In many of our pieces, we build them in the earlier manner instead of taking short cuts.
I’ve never ordered big furniture online before, what happens?
Your furniture will ship cartoned or crated on a pallet, or via a ground carrier. Upon receipt, you will be asked to sign a Bill of Lading from the delivery company. If signed without notation, the buyer is implying that all product was received in perfect condition. When damage is noted, we are able to seek recourse from the shipping company to repair or replace the item(s). If goods are damaged, you should note such on the BOL. If you are not given time to inspect your goods, you should note “pending inspection.” If cartons are damaged, you have the option of not accepting them. We will show up in credit card transaction reports and billing as Watson Furnishings.
Does your furniture come assembled?
Most of our pieces do not require assembly, and when they do, it’s noted.
Where are you? Do you have showrooms I can visit?
Our office and warehouse are near downtown Oakland, California. We’re on the phones from 9 – 5:00 PST, Monday through Friday. We don’t have showrooms, but customers are welcome to visit by appointment.
Can I return what I order?
See our return policies here.
How do I care for my natural marble table?
Gently! Marble may be stone, but it is porous and stains easily. Wipe off anything spilled on marble immediately, just as you would from a wood surface. Use coasters under beverage glasses, plates, and vases to avoid moisture rings. Occasionally wash marble surfaces with luke warm water and wipe dry with a clean cloth. You may also use a cleaner made specifically for marble natural stone. (Be smart about using any cleaners -- "natural" cleaners are often citrus-based, and citrus is acidic. Look for ph-neutral cleaning substances.) Avoid over-spray from cleaning other areas -- floors, windows, cabinets. Your marble table comes sealed and with a good coating of wax -- cleaning solvents may erode this, so be careful! Depending on use, you may want to re-apply a non-yellowing wax every 12 months.
Does Pony Hide come from Ponies?
No! It’s called pony because of its soft texture and typically spotted markings, but this is hair-on cowhide. We allow you to specify Tri-color, Black and White, or Brown and White options on our pony items.
How should I maintain my bentwood chairs?
Seating furniture is intended for being used for sitting. Other uses – like climbing on, kneeling, rocking, or use outside may result in damage. For cleaning and waxing, only use furniture products on bentwood – don’t use product intended for wood floors. Screws and bolts should be inspected after the first two months of use; please tighten and screws that have become loose. Subsequent regular checks and tightening will extend the durability of the product. Remove dust from the cane parts with a vacuum cleaner and damp cloth.
General Furniture Use and Maintenance
Be careful about exposing the furniture to water, excessive heat, or direct sunlight. As a result of exposure to direct sunlight, the color shade of wooden parts, fabrics, plastic, as well as cane parts of the product may change. Sharp objects, such as hard seams, rivets on trousers, pet claws., etc may damage wooden, fabric, and cane parts.
Dust wooden parts with a soft, clean, dry cloth. Use a cleaning detergent designed for furniture with all kinds of lacquered finishes in the case of extensive soil.ing. Strictly adhere to the label instructions for use of the purchased detergent. Remove dust from the cane parts with a vacuum cleaner and damp cloth.
Changes in texture, minor color derivations, and natural growth defects are not faults; these are features of the genuine nature of wood. Color derivations of wooden parts are caused by the varying ability of the wood to absorb the finishing material.
Clean metal and plastic parts with a mild detergent designed for furniture; clean glass parts with commercial glass cleaning agents. Dry immediately after cleaning and shine with a soft cloth.
Chrome Care
Clean with Windex or an automotive chrome cleaner regularly. Apply a coat of hard paste wax to protect against moisture.
Leather Care
Protect leather furniture from water, excessive radiant heat, direct sunlight, and mechanical damage. Creasing or wrinkling of the leather, especially on the sitting area, is natural and not a defect. Uneven surface structure, minor scars, abrasions and minor variance in shade are not defect, on the contrary, these are characteristic features of this natural material. Most leather can be cleaned with a slightly damp cloth or microfiber; you should use only special leather cleaning agents for treatment and special cleaning.
Hide Leather Care
Use a soft cloth dampened with a solution of mild soap or detergent dissolved in water. Rub lightly. For scratches, use liquid shoe polish and buff when dry.
What was the Bauhaus?
The Bauhaus was a school and a movement in Weimar and Dessau, Germany, and included instructors we recognize today: Josef Albers, Hinnerk Scheper, Georg Muche, László Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer, Joost Schmidt, Marcel Breuer, Vassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Walter Gropius, who wrote the impassioned manifesto:
“The ultimate aim of all creative activity is a building! The decoration of buildings was once the noblest function of fine arts, and fine arts were indispensable to great architecture. Today they exist in complacent isolation, and can only be rescued by the conscious co-operation and collaboration of all craftsmen. Architects, painters, and sculptors must once again come to know and comprehend the composite character of a building, both as an entity and in terms of its various parts. Then their work will be filled with that true architectonic spirit which, as "salon art," it has lost.
The old art schools were unable to produce this unity; and how, indeed, should they have done so, since art cannot be taught? Schools must return to the workshop. The world of the pattern-designer and applied artist, consisting only of drawing and painting must become once again a world in which things are built. If the young person who rejoices in creative activity now begins his career as in the older days by learning a craft, then the unproductive "artist" will no longer be condemned to inadequate artistry, for his skills will be preserved for the crafts in which he can achieve great things.
Architects, painters, sculptors, we must all return to crafts! For there is no such thing as "professional art." There is no essential difference between the artist and the craftsman. The artist is an exalted craftsman. By the grace of Heaven and in rare moments of inspiration which transcend the will, art may unconsciously blossom from the labour of his hand, but a base in handicrafts is essential to every artist. It is there that the original source of creativity lies.
Let us therefore create a new guild of craftsmen without the class-distinctions that raise an arrogant barrier between craftsmen and artists! Let us desire, conceive, and create the new building of the future together. It will combine architecture, sculpture, and painting in a single form, and will one day rise towards the heavens from the hands of a million workers as the crystalline symbol of a new and coming faith.” [source: http://www.dmoma.org/lobby/Bauhaus_manifesto.html ]
From Bauhaus to Our House is a 1981 critique of Modern Architecture by the American author Tom Wolfe.
Who are you?
Bauhaus2Your House exists happily in our own space. Neither pedantic nor ostentatious, we love design from the 19th and 20th century and European contemporary design, and enjoy connecting buyers to the furniture they’ve always wanted.