From the classic iPod design to the calculator app, Apple's design legacy owes much to the work of German industrial designer Dieter Rams whose actual calculator as well as radio, record player and more ushered in an era of beautifully stark consumer electronics.

Rams acknowledges his style is directly influenced by Bauhaus architecture. Bauhaus was a cultural, art and design movement from early 20th century Germany; it eschewed classical design and excessive ornamentation in favour of the sleek, the daring and the futuristic – what we often think of as very modern and intertwined with technology.

For a free lesson in the design roots of modern living: everything from your ergonomic office chair to your smartphone and cafetière, visit the Bauhaus archive on the Harvard Art Museum’s website and browse through more than 30,000 objects including paintings, sculpture, textiles, furniture and crockery. harvardartmuseums.org/tour/the-bauhaus/