2019 marked a centenary of Bauhaus; a rebellion against tradition that shaped design history like no other modern institution. Gubi's Bestlite stems from the revolutionary changes that took place in the Bauhaus period between 1919 and 1933. The modernist movement founded by Walter Gropius, sought to break down the barriers between the practical crafts, industrialization, and fine art. Designs from that era brought functionality and simplicity to the forefront, displacing all superficial ornamentation.
Renowned in design circles and history books as Britain's first contribution to the Bauhaus movement, the BestLite design stays close to its industrial roots and true to its original design, first drawn up in 1930 by Robert Dudley Best.
Best - a keen design enthusiast on top of his prominence as a young industrialist - had spent the 1920s travelling around Europe meeting designers and furthering his interest in the modernist movement. Interested in breaking the barriers between industrial and artistic merit, Best's ideals were shared by his friend Walter Gropius of Bauhaus fame. On Best's return to the UK, he sat down to draw up the blueprints for the BestLite we have today.
As the lamp was the first example of Bauhaus in the UK, strong arguments were needed before the lamp could be put into production. After a mention in the prominent architectural magazine Architects' Journal, the architectural community opened its eyes to the lamp's potential. BestLite gained everlasting fame when Winston Churchill placed it on his desk in Whitehall.
Loved by architects, designers, and design aficionados throughout its long history - today, BestLite has become a contemporary classic.
