Let’s just take the Kubus armchair. Is there anyone more beautiful than him? It represents a geometric perfection that is second to none. Not only is the chair a cube, but it also appears to be made up of many cubes: six wide, five deep, four high. Two are only up to the seat, two others form armrests and backrests. So let’s call it all a flattened cube, otherwise you simply couldn’t sit on it, in the chair. And this cube is wonderful to sit on. Because the many small cubes sewn together, which are actually just squares, 152, have round sides because their edges are drawn, obviously by hand. It looks a bit like old pebbles, it’s just much more comfortable because it’s padded. Josef Hoffmann, the great Viennese architect, designed the armchair around 1910. He is said to have a weakness for “geometric simplicity”. He used the square so often and in so many different ways – he drew almost only on lined paper – that he was nicknamed “Quadratl-Hoffmann”. His cube, or armchair, was created in the period in which together with Gustav Klimt he was designing and building the Palais Stoclet near Brussels. The villa in the style of the Vienna Secession, a UNESCO world heritage site since 2009, is a total work of art and was decorated by several artists from the Wiener Werkstätten, of which Hoffmann is co-founder. Hoffmann died in Vienna in 1956 at the age of 85. But his cube is still produced today, by another Austrian institution: the Wittmann Möbelwerkstätten.
Originally founded by Franz Wittmann in 1896 as a saddlery in Etsdorf am Kamp in Lower Austria, only after the Second World War did the family business increasingly focus on furniture production. Crucial to the success was the legacy of Josef Hoffmann, which his widow Carla Hoffmann entrusted to the Wittmanns in the 1960s. Since then the manufactory has had the exclusive right to produce Josef Hoffmann’s furniture based on his original designs. In addition to its classics, new designers have continuously been added: Johannes Spalt, Jean Nouvel, Matteo Thun, Paolo Piva, and in recent years there are more and more young designers whose projects reflect the history of the house and its most important protagonist, Josef Hoffmann, feel obliged. The Spaniard Jaime Hayon, the Swiss Jörg Boner, the Italians Lucidi Pevere (Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere), the Japanese Oki Sato (Nendo) and the German Sebstian Herkner. The selection of designers is mainly up to Alice Wittmann, the fifth generation who runs the company together with her mother Ulrike, and Arthur Arbesser, who advises her from a creative point of view. This year the two presented a new armchair designed by the Frenchman Philippe Nigro. It’s a club chair, like the cube. However, it is not square, but rather round. But use dice as we know them from Hoffmann’s masterpiece. The name of the Nigro armchair: Joseph. Even with ph, it can still be understood as a tribute to the man who spells it with three fs: Josef Hoffmann.
Creative council Arthur Arbesser and junior manager Alice Wittmann
References are created non-stop.
Specialists in their field
Right through the Sewing shop a tape is playing. The coverings, also for the Joseph club chair by Philippe Nigro, are created continuously. Wittmann employs around 80 people in production. Here, in the first station, they are mostly women, specialized in their sector. A wrong cut, a wrong seam and the fabric, the leather is no longer usable. All women know how to cut and they also know how to sew. The Joseph armchair is demanding: the semicircular shell of the seat is covered on the outside with a kapton or quilted covering, so Nigro takes up the cube motif of the Kubus armchair by Josef Hoffmann. Inside, the seat and back are smooth. The upholstery materials can also be varied on the outside and inside, meaning you can match leather with leather, leather with fabric or fabric with fabric. For Philippe Nigro, born in Nice in 1975, Joseph is his first project for the Wittmann brand. Vienna-born Arthur Arbesser (pictured above next to junior boss Alice Wittmann) is also still fairly new to the company. For just over a year he has advised the Wittmann family on all creative matters as Creative Council. For Arbesser, born in 1983, fabrics play a special role: he studied fashion and founded his own label in Milan in 2013.
Every year around 15,000 pieces of furniture are produced in the Wittmann laboratories. Only about a third stays in Austria, the rest goes mainly to Europe, the United States and Australia. But the “Viennese” has already found new markets for some time, in Asia these include China, Korea and Taiwan. In Etsdorf am Kamp the work is carried out only on order. This means that most items are not in stock, but are produced for all models, for example in the in-house metalworking shop. The interior of our Joseph armchair is also made of metal in some places. It gives his curved back the necessary stability. Bending and welding in Metalworking It’s a man thing. Which is obviously not wanted. First we bend. Stencils provide the shape. After several tries, the bender spits out what you want. Then it’s time to solder. The round comes to the square, in pieces of a square tube. the finished metal part is branded with spray paint so you know who made it. Each blacksmith has its own color, on this day it is bright orange from a can.
Here you can see what’s in the pipeline. A chair. It is still almost entirely made of wood. This does not come from the surroundings of Lower Austria, which is a federal state in the eastern part of the republic surrounding the capital Vienna, but from Upper Austria, which borders it to the west. Or even from northern Italy. The parts are pre-manufactured. You can see holes in the seat; they are there to allow air to escape if you then fall into the cushions. We are in the Gurterei (if there is such a word). This is where the real upholstery work begins. Straps are attached along the wooden planks, also to protect them from the solid edges, but they are also stretched into the footwell of the chair. There Philippe Nigro, the designer of the Joseph armchair, intended ”freedom for heels”, as the tour explains. You can sit on the chair with your legs bent. The metal part, just delivered by the blacksmith with its orange color, is already screwed on the back.
Now things get a little more complicated: it’s also about volumetric weight. We are in the Vorpolstereiwhere people continue to work on the chair as if they were a sandwich. In short, there is a spring core on the belt, which is then covered, followed by foam, non-woven material and finally the cover. The most important thing is the foam, which is carefully glued with some kind of glue. The foam is colored differently, not because it is so beautifully colored: the colors represent different sitting qualities. Some give more than others, which has to do with the amount of material, usually plastic, that has been made into foam. And this is given in density (RG). The higher the RG value, the better the quality of the seat or, in the case of beds, the relaxation. Lifespan also increases. A soft pillow, for example, has a density of RG 25. For firmer cushions, such as a sofa or an armchair, a density between RG 30 and 40 is recommended. Frequently used mattresses reach the value RG 60. They have a durability ten years or more. This armchair by Philippe Nigro does not require a high RG value in the lower legs, but the seat does. There are models for cutting foam, and the glue is from a spray gun. The instructions for Joseph are on the next table. The chair is still new and represents a challenge even for foam experts. How many of these chairs have you already pre-upholstered? “There were no more than ten.”
The finishing touches are placed in the upholstery department.
It’s almost finished. In concrete terms Upholstery The finishing touches are being put. The covering, prepared in the sewing workshop, covers the pre-padded structure. Even in this case the work must be done with precision. And it takes: depending on the model, up to six hours. The inside of our Joseph is made of fabric, the outside with its Josef Hoffmann squares is made of leather. According to designer Philippe Nigro, even the grid quilting of the molded shell that encloses the armchair is inspired by the goldsmith’s objects of the Viennese Secession,
The four feet of our finished armchair are recessed, but it is also available with four visible wheels. Nigro designed his Joseph as a hybrid between an armchair and a chair. It can be placed in the living room as well as in the dining room or study. Like its big brother, the Kubus armchair. Now it can be quite large, because Wittmann has also transformed it into a sofa on which four people can sit comfortably. But this is a completely different story.
Till in the process of being assembled, and each step requires careful adherence to the specifications laid out for the design. The attention to detail is critical, especially in the upholstery phase where comfort and aesthetic align.
The process of creating the Joseph armchair by Philippe Nigro showcases the blend of craftsmanship and modern design. Each armchair is not merely mass-produced; instead, it is tailored for quality and longevity, reflecting the values of the Wittmann brand. Employees are highly trained specialists in their respective fields, ensuring that every aspect—from cutting and sewing to metalworking and upholstery—is executed with precision.
The meticulous crafting of the chair involves a mix of traditional techniques and modern innovations, highlighting a commitment to sustainability as they source materials from local and regional suppliers. This not only reduces the carbon footprint associated with long-distance transport but also supports local economies.
Moreover, the collaboration between the designers and the creative council, notably Arthur Arbesser’s influence, ensures that each piece encapsulates a fresh perspective while honoring the rich heritage of Viennese furniture design. The Joseph armchair is a testament to this legacy, merging functionality with artistic expression.
As the assembly continues, each worker’s contribution is vital, reflecting a collective effort to produce furniture that is not just utilitarian but also a work of art—inviting patrons to experience the comfort and elegance of a well-crafted piece of furniture, rooted in tradition yet poised for contemporary living.