Explain the maxim 'form follows function' and name a designer or movement strongly associated with it.

• A. The form dictates function; associated with Rococo designers.
• B. The finish determines form; associated with Arts and Crafts.
• C. The function dictates form; strongly associated with Louis Sullivan in architecture and later echoed by Bauhaus and modernist designers.
• D. The form follows function is irrelevant to furniture.

Answer: (C)

Form follows function means a design’s shape should come from its purpose and how it will be used, rather than from ornament or fashion. This idea grew as a reaction to overly decorative styles and the needs of industrial production, arguing that the way something is used should dictate its form. The most famous advocate is Louis Sullivan in architecture, who stated that a building’s design should reflect its function. This principle was later picked up by the Bauhaus and other modernist designers, who extended it into furniture and product design. In practice, it leads to clean lines, honest materials, and structural logic—where the chair’s dimensions, materials, and assembly are driven by how people sit and use it, not by decoration.