Right:
Daniel Kroh with
Walking-Chair
Design Studio
Hard Working
Furniture, work-
men’s overalls,
271/2 X
31I/2
x
15% in
Above:
Klaus Fritsch
for Lobmeyr
Whiskey decanter
and glass.
Opposite:
Ina Seidl
Wien,
2000, porcelain,
ribbon, largest handle
2 x 1% x
V2
in.
A re c e n t e x h ib itio n o f In a S e id P s je w e lr y
in V ie n n a at th e M u seu m fiir A n g e w a n d te
K u n st (M u seu m o f A p p lie d A r ts ) , k n o w n
b y its G erm an a cro n y m , M AK, in clu d ed th e
p en d an t
m e n
(V ie n n a ), a g ro u p o f p o rc e -
lain h e a rts a sse m b le d fro m a sso rte d c o ffe e
cu p h an d les su sp en d e d fro m a red strin g ,
as h om age to h er h o m e to w n and its K a ffe e -
haus cu ltu re.
It w a s th at V ie n n e s e c o ffe e h o u se trad i-
tio n th at in sp ired L o th a r T rie re n b e rg to
o p en D a s M ô b e l (th e p ie c e o f fu rn itu re ),
c o m b in in g a ca fé w ith a fu rn itu re s h o w -
room to cre ate w h a t he calls “ V ie n n a ’s best-
k n o w n p u b lic liv in g ro o m ,” w h e re v isito rs
e x p e rie n c e fu rn itu re m ad e b y A u stria n
d esig n e rs. A t D as M ô b e l y o u can u se chairs
b y th e w o o d w o rk in g team K a tja and W e r -
n er N u ssb au m e r, w h o co m b in e th e b e lo v e d
b e n t-p ly w o o d seats o f old V ie n n e s e tram s
w ith a co n te m p o ra ry steel fram e, m ergin g
n o sta lg ic and su stain ab le elem e n ts; o r try
o n e o f th e so lid -lo o k in g b e n ch e s b y D ie te r
G o r ja n z , a c a rp e n te r w h o w o r k s w ith
fre sh ly c u t oak th at co n tin u es to m o v e and
sh ift lo n g a fte r each p ie ce is b u ilt. “ A u s tria
has a d v a n c e d to b e a m ajo r p la y e r in th e
in te rn a tio n a l d e sig n s c e n e ,” T r ie r e n b e r g
sa ys. “ W e are e x c ite d to b e p a rt o f th is and
h o p e to b ro a d e n th is tre n d in A u s tria and
in E u ro p e .”
A c r o s s to w n , K a rl E m ilio P irc h e r and
F id e l P e u g e o t h a v e co m b in e d th e ir sk ills to
fo rm th e W a lk in g -C h a ir D e sig n S tu d io . In
th is s tre e t-le v e l o ffic e / w o r k s h o p , w h ic h
fu n ctio n s as a sh o w ro o m and retail o u tle t
and in co rp o ra tes th e sm all W a lk in g -C h a ir
G a lle ry , th e tw o h a ve w o r k e d to g e th e r fo r
10 y e a rs d e sig n in g ty p o g r a p h y , in te rio rs,
e x h ib itio n s and a fu rn itu re series cre ate d
fro m in d u strial S ty ro fo a m p a ck a g in g m ate-
rial sp ra ye d w ith a p o ly m e r c o a tin g trad i-
tio n a lly u sed in co n stru c tio n . P irc h e r, w h o
stu d ied at the U n iv e rsity o f A p p lie d A rts
in V ie n n a , v ie w s d esig n as a to o l en a b lin g
c re a tiv ity . “ W e co m e fro m th e ap p lied arts,
and o u r ap p ro ach is h an d s-on . W e fr e e ly
m o v e b a ck and fo rth b e tw e e n on e-of-a-kin d
and in d u strial p ro d u ctio n m eth o d s, e sta b -
lish in g a d ia lo g u e b e tw e e n th e h an d m ad e
and in d u s try .” E x p e rim e n ta tio n , c o o p e ra -
tio n w ith o th er d esig n ers and su stain ab ility
are k e y w h e n creatin g a co lle ctio n like H ard
W o r k in g F u rn itu re , a g ro u p o f chairs and
so fa s m ade in c o n ju n c tio n w ith th e B e rlin
fa sh io n d e sig n e r D a n ie l K r o h , w h o re -
c y c le s w o rk m e n ’s o v eralls to m ake m u lti-
co lo re d co v e rs fo r th e u p h o lstered p ieces.
P irc h e r p o in ts to th e im p o rta n ce o f D e -
p artu re—a p rogram in itiate d b y th e c ity in
2003 to p ro v id e sm all and em e rg in g c re a tiv e
b u sin esses w ith gran ts and access to k n o w l-
ed g e—in h e lp in g to estab lish V ie n n a as a
d estin atio n fo r c re a tiv e talen t. T h e c ity w a s
one o f th e first in E u ro p e to o ffe r a su b stan -
tial su p p o rt p ro g ram fo r c re a tiv e in d u stries
a fte r r e c o g n iz in g th e a p p lie d arts and d e -
sign scen e as a valu able and exp an d ab le as-
se t, g iv e n V ie n n a ’s tra d itio n o f hand m ad e
p ro d u cts su ch as fu rn itu re , glass and te x -
tiles fa b rica te d in sm all w o rk s h o p s .
O n e o f th e se b u sin e sse s is L o b m e y r ,
re n o w n e d fo r p ro d u c in g and se llin g hand-
b lo w n g la ss o f th e h ig h e st q u a lity sin ce
1823. F ro m its prim e retail lo ca tio n in the
K a rtn e rg a sse , ju s t a fe w step s fro m S t. S te -
p h en ’s C a th e d ra l, L o b m e y r co n tin u es to
w o r k w ith d e sig n e rs lik e th e A m e r ic a n >
oct/nov 10 american craft 069
