Austrian design refers to the decorative arts, furniture and applied design produced in Austria, especially in Vienna, which was one of Europe's most creative centres from the early nineteenth century to the 1930s. It includes Biedermeier furniture, bentwood, Secessionist and Wiener Werkstätte design, Vienna bronzes and glass.
The Biedermeier period after 1815 produced elegant, practical furniture in pale fruitwoods with clean lines. Michael Thonet developed bentwood furniture in Vienna from the mid-nineteenth century, and his chairs became among the most widely produced in the world. In 1897 the Vienna Secession was founded by artists including Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, and in 1903 Hoffmann and Moser established the Wiener Werkstätte, which produced furniture, silver, jewellery, textiles and graphics with a strong geometric character. Adolf Loos argued for a plainer modern architecture, and firms such as J. & L. Lobmeyr made refined glass. Collectors look for identifiable designers and workshop marks, original finishes and good condition, and Austrian design of this period remains influential, fitting particularly well into restrained contemporary interiors.
