Hoffmans' straight lines and cubes

    Joseph Hoffman was one of the founders of the Vienna Secession together with artists Gustav Klimt and Koloman Moser in the very late 1800’s. Though they were Austrian artists they resigned from the Austrian Art Association and moved to Vienna to start the new movement. Hoffman himself was even more popular when he formed the Wiener Werkstätte company which was popular for a wide range of production, art and architecture.  Together with some other artist, he produced many designs, mostly interiors, which are exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. They had their own unique style which for that time  was classified as very modern.

    The Stoclet House is one of the most popular architectures designed by Hoffman and the Wieners, built during the 1908 in Brussels. It was built for banker and art lover, Adolphe Stoclet. He gave them an unlimited budget and an artistic free hand. It is a very refined luxurious house and in the 2009 it was included on the UNESCO World’s Heritage List. 

    As you can see in the pictures it is a very geometrical and quadratic building, all in grey. The exterior is quite simple and the only thing giving life and colour are the big green bushes surrounding the huge area. Everything else- grey! In my opinion the exterior of this building  doesn’t look like a mansion at all, it looks more like a monastery or a school. It is a very ‘simple’ building and the only decorative lines are the balcony railings and the windows. Only the huge area of the building suggests that it is a mansion and it gives the indication that it belongs to a rich family.

    Its straight lines show the emerging influence of modernism, but it also reminds me of cubism. Franz Metzner sculpted the four figures that crown the top of the building and in the dining area there are a lot of works by Gustav  Klimt. Unfortunately we cannot see what’s exactly in the inside because it is still a private house which is now owned by some grand-daughters of Adolphe Stoclet.

    As we can already see, Hoffmann's style was very sober and abstract and along time he was limiting himself to functional structures and domestic products. This is another example of his strict geometrical line designs called the Kubus Armchair. This was highly popular at the time and this style was common in  middle class family homes. The chair in the picture below, has a geometric composition based on the square, a common element seen in both Hoffman's architectural and furniture designs. The constant use of squares and cubes makes this seating quite modern and classic. The cushioned cubes of thick leather have a classic style and looks very comfortable. As in the above mentioned  building, it is a unique example of combining classic design with modern influence, also inspired from cubism.

    Its Cubist shape creates an urban modern look that is ideal for small flats. It has a wooden solid frame and a deep, cushioned seating that keeps you comfortable and well-supported. Even though I really like this chair, I would not choose it for my own apartment because it is not my personal style. The thick material and the dark black colour makes it very bold and probably it would be a big statement in the room. While doing my research, I found a very similar sofa which I found interesting and would dare to use in my home.

    This desgn was made by Daisuke Motogi and I would defiantly say it is the grandson of Hoffmans’ design. It isvery similar to the original one and has the same shape;  it is also made by many cubes. They are also both one colour and made of the same material. The slight difference is that Motogis’ chair is made of  smaller cubes which count more in number than the other one. Another difference is that it doesn’t have the wooden blocks that serve as chair legs in the bottom. This one has another function than just a seating, it can also serve as storage space. You can simply put small things in between the upholstered cubes form of the armchair. The armchair would be ideal for a living room because you can put your TV remote control in there or some books that you are currently reading. The light colour and soft material makes it more more cosy than the one Hoffman designed. This one looks more fun and less bold in appearance.

Bibliography

Information and pictures:

January 2013http://www.homedesign9.com/2012/11/furniture-collections-that-actas.html : searched on the 20th October 2012

May 2009 http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/stoclet.html : searched on the 20th October 2013