Ladies’ Fauteuil for the Fitting Rooms of the Fashion Salon “Schwestern Flöge” at Casa Piccola, 1904

This ladies’ fauteuil was designed by the architect and designer Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956) in 1904 for the fitting rooms of the fashion salon “Schwestern Flöge”. The popular haute couture salon was situated at Casa Piccola on Mariahilfer Strasse and was furnished by the Wiener Werkstätte. This chair is made from white-varnished wood and is upholstered with red fabric. Chair designs with backrests that run along one of the corners have existed since medieval times. This backrest is characterized by simple rungs in the shape of square rods and an elegant arch towards the top. A striking element of the design is the shape of the seat: Called a “navette” (small boat) in French, it can be described as an ellipse tapered off at the main angular points. The fitting rooms also featured matching stools with the same basic shape but without the eye-catching backrest.

MR, 2021