Shortly before the turn of the century, the bentwood furniture manufacturer J. & J. Kohn began collaborating with various Viennese architects, among them Gustav Siegel, formerly a student of Josef Hoffmann. The model No. 715/F, designed for the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, was Siegel’s greatest success and had a formative influence on the idiom adopted by other furniture-designing architects.
This was the first bentwood armchair whose front leg, armrests, and backrest were made of a single bentwood element. The back legs and backrest frame were also of a piece, while the third element was the seat. Fewer parts coupled with the additional braces between the legs prevented any wobbling. The use of angular bentwood made for a more handcrafted look and was to become a hallmark of architect-designed furniture, while round bentwood was classed as a material of the past. Brass leg caps and leather coverings further ennobled the design.
Text: Anne-Katrin Rossberg
