Bauhaus Pattern
Make a Bauhaus-style pattern from 11 square tiles of our own: a quarter circle, a half circle, a circle, a circle in a square, a triangle, a diagonal split, a block of three bars, an arch, a ring, a square in a square and two quarter circles. Lay them out at random (tiles, quarter turns and colours picked from a seed number), mirrored (every second column and row flipped), as a checker of two tiles, or as a pinwheel where each tile is a quarter turn on from the last. Pick the tile size in inches or centimetres and how many columns and rows make one repeat; the tiles fill the repeat exactly, so it joins edge to edge. Use red, yellow, blue and black on off-white, or your own 2 to 5 colours, and download a seamless SVG tile at real size, a background PNG at an exact screen size, a 300 DPI PNG or a full-size PDF with a tile key. Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Page 1 is the pattern at full size with a 1 in test square; page 2 is the tile key: each tile used, drawn large, with the turns and mirrors that leave it unchanged. The SVG tile is one repeat and joins edge to edge.
Tiles and layout
Colours
Print and screen
Runs in your browser with our own code: nothing is uploaded or saved. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to make a Bauhaus pattern
- Choose a preset, or pick a layout and a main tile.
- For a random or checker layout, pick a second tile (or any tile for a random mix).
- Set the tile size, the columns and rows per repeat, and a seed (change the seed for a new arrangement).
- Pick 2 to 5 colours: a ground and up to four inks.
- Download the SVG tile, a background PNG, or the PDF; print at 100% and check the 1 in test square.
What you can use it for
- Posters, prints and wall art (full-size PDF)
- Fabric, cushion and quilt mock-ups (real-size tile)
- Gift wrap, notebook covers and cards
- Website, slide and phone backgrounds (SVG tile, PNG)
- Classroom shape and colour activities
- Painted murals, tiles and stencil layouts
The 15 presets
| # | Preset | Layout | Tiles | Tiles per repeat | Tile size | Repeat | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary colours, random tiles | Random | Quarter circle + any tile | 6 × 6 | 1 in | 6 × 6 in | 5 |
| 2 | Mirrored quarter circles, red and black | Mirrored | Quarter circle | 4 × 4 | 1 in | 4 × 4 in | 3 |
| 3 | Pinwheel quarter circles, blue on cream | Pinwheel | Quarter circle | 4 × 4 | 1 in | 4 × 4 in | 3 |
| 4 | Circle and square checker | Checker | Circle + square in a square | 4 × 4 | 1 in | 4 × 4 in | 3 |
| 5 | Arches and half circles, random | Random | Arch + half circle | 6 × 6 | 1 in | 6 × 6 in | 4 |
| 6 | Black and white, any tile | Random | Quarter circle + any tile | 6 × 6 | 1 in | 6 × 6 in | 2 |
| 7 | Pastel, random tiles | Random | Circle + any tile | 6 × 6 | 1 in | 6 × 6 in | 5 |
| 8 | Primaries on black | Random | Quarter circle + any tile | 6 × 6 | 1 in | 6 × 6 in | 5 |
| 9 | Pinwheel diagonal split, yellow and blue | Pinwheel | Diagonal split | 4 × 4 | 1 in | 4 × 4 in | 3 |
| 10 | Ring and circle checker | Checker | Ring + circle in a square | 4 × 4 | 1 in | 4 × 4 in | 3 |
| 11 | Stripes and half circles, random | Random | Stripes block (3 bars) + half circle | 6 × 6 | 1 in | 6 × 6 in | 5 |
| 12 | Mirrored triangles | Mirrored | Triangle | 4 × 4 | 1 in | 4 × 4 in | 3 |
| 13 | Two quarter circles, pinwheel | Pinwheel | Two quarter circles | 4 × 4 | 1 in | 4 × 4 in | 3 |
| 14 | Fabric scale: 3 cm tiles | Random | Quarter circle + any tile | 6 × 6 | 3 cm | 18 × 18 cm | 5 |
| 15 | Small tiles, 8 × 8 repeat | Random | Circle + any tile | 8 × 8 | 0.75 in | 6 × 6 in | 5 |
Each preset only fills in the fields; change any setting afterwards.
The 11 tiles
| Tile | Looks the same after | Shapes |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter circle | other diagonal mirror | 1 |
| Half circle | left-right mirror | 1 |
| Circle | left-right mirror, top-bottom mirror, quarter turn, half turn, diagonal mirror, other diagonal mirror | 1 |
| Circle in a square | left-right mirror, top-bottom mirror, quarter turn, half turn, diagonal mirror, other diagonal mirror | 2 |
| Triangle | left-right mirror | 1 |
| Diagonal split | diagonal mirror | 2 |
| Stripes block (3 bars) | left-right mirror, top-bottom mirror, half turn | 3 |
| Arch | left-right mirror | 1 |
| Ring | left-right mirror, top-bottom mirror, quarter turn, half turn, diagonal mirror, other diagonal mirror | 1 |
| Square in a square | left-right mirror, top-bottom mirror, quarter turn, half turn, diagonal mirror, other diagonal mirror | 2 |
| Two quarter circles | half turn, diagonal mirror, other diagonal mirror | 2 |
All tiles are our own drawings in a square cell. Page 2 of the PDF draws each tile used, large, with the turns and mirrors that leave it unchanged.
Layouts
| Layout | How the tiles are set |
|---|---|
| Random | Tile, quarter turn and colours from the seed; any number of columns and rows |
| Mirrored | Every second column flipped left to right, every second row top to bottom |
| Checker | Two tiles in turn, with the colours swapped |
| Pinwheel | Each tile a quarter turn on from its neighbour, round a 2 × 2 block |
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Geometric square tiles in flat colours | Bauhaus Pattern (this page) |
| Bold 1980s shapes and squiggles | Memphis Pattern Generator |
| Tiles that join into paths | Truchet Tiles |
| Line and ring illusions | Op Art Generator |
| Simple CSS backgrounds | SVG Pattern Generator |
Also handy: the Memphis Pattern Generator, Truchet Tiles and the Op Art Generator.
More free tools
More pattern and background tools?
Pattern makers and print tools that run privately in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real Bauhaus designs?
No. They are our own tiles built from simple geometric shapes in flat colours, the look many people search for as a Bauhaus pattern. None is copied from a work by anyone at the school. The Bauhaus itself was a school of art, architecture and design in Germany from 1919 until it closed in 1933.
Will the tile repeat without a seam?
Yes. The tiles fill the repeat exactly, a whole number of tiles across and down, so copies placed edge to edge join with no seam. Our tests compare the pattern one repeat over by sampled colour, for every preset.
Why do some layouts need an even number of columns?
Mirrored, checker and pinwheel layouts change every second tile, so the pattern only comes back to the start after two tiles. With an odd number the repeat would not join, so the maker asks for an even number instead of drawing a seam.
What does the seed do?
In the random layout the seed picks each tile, its quarter turn and its colours. The same seed and settings always give exactly the same pattern; a new seed gives a new one. A tile is never drawn in the same colour as its own square.
Are the tiles symmetrical?
Each tile is listed with the turns and mirrors that leave it unchanged: the circle, ring and squares look the same after a quarter turn and every mirror, the half circle, triangle and arch mirror left to right, the quarter circle and the diagonal split mirror across a diagonal. Our tests check every point of every tile, and that no other turn or mirror would.
Is the tile the exact size I set?
Yes. The SVG tile is written in inches or centimetres (for example 6 in square for the first preset: 6 tiles of 1 in), and the PDF prints the pattern at full size with a 1 in test square to check your printer.
How is this different from the Memphis and Truchet makers?
The Memphis maker scatters bold 1980s shapes and squiggles; Truchet tiles turn one tile to make paths. This page lays square tiles of circles, arches, triangles and bars in flat colours on an exact grid, with a full-size PDF and a key of the tiles.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Everything is drawn by JavaScript in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.