In Vienna’s Neubau district, a beautiful Biedermeier townhouse has been home to the Werkstätte Carl Auböck for more than 100 years. Inside the workshop, where production continues to this day, countless objects line the shelves, walls, tabletops and desktops.
The Viennese artist and designer Carl Auböck II was one of the quirkiest and most delightful and collectible of modern designers. A rather odd duck in the world of decorative arts, he was a peculiar talent whose specialties included smaller desk accessories and tabletop pieces such as corkscrews, paperweights, letter openers, bookends and bottle stoppers. He rendered these pieces in a combination of metal — most often brass — and such elemental materials as leather, knobby wood and animal horn, creating forms that could be almost Surrealist, from hands and feet to keys, birds and amoebae.
As a boy, Auböck was precocious and artistic. He studied drawing and at the same time trained in the workshop of his father, Karl Heinrich Auböck, a popular maker of traditional bronze figurines and collectibles. In 1919, Carl II went to Germany to study at the Bauhaus, where he was a pupil of the progressive artist and theorist Johannes Itten. While the Bauhaus is most associated with the rigidly ordered, functionalist architecture of its directors Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the school was in reality a liberal, spirited place — a crucible for imaginative, playful and avant-garde art and design. It was this spirit that imbued Carl II’s work from the time he left in 1921.
In 1922 or ’23, Carl Auböck II returned to Vienna to help care for his ailing father, and he took over the business. He created the Werkstätte Carl Auböck and a legacy that earned his objects cult status among collectors. The business was passed on to his descendants, who run the atelier that is still in operation today. Today, objects designed by Carl II make up 90 percent of Werkstätte Carl Auböck’s production, joined by the creations of architect and designer Carl IV, his grandson.
Vintage Auböck designs have a special character, a patina that only emphasizes how much the pieces have been loved and used. Carl Aubock II’s small furniture items — leather- or caned-sling magazine racks; free-edge wooden side tables with tubular bronze legs; wicker serving trolleys with turned beechwood wheels — are elegant and purposeful. His bijoux desktop objects, library tools, ashtrays and barware pieces evince a kind of mirthful practicality. They seem to ask: “If you need a corkscrew, or a paperweight, or a candlestick, why not make it fun as well as functional?” And indeed, why not?
Find a collection of vintage Werkstätte Carl Auböck mirrors, seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Four Carl Aubock Butterly Fledermaus Suede Leather Chairs, Vienna, 1960s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
Up to four unique customized Carl Auböck Midcentury Model No. 42 Butterfly Chairs from the 1960s, designed and manufactured by Carl Auböck. These chairs were custom-made for a client...
Iron
Rare Armchair and ottoman with walnut armrests, by Carl Auböck
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Berlin, DE
This mid-century armchair, by Carl Auböck, crafted in Vienna around 1955, features a sleek and minimalistic design. Constructed from rectangular iron tubing with a black lacquered fi...
Iron
Italian Verdigris Iron Armchair with Ottoman, 1950s
Located in Chicago, IL
An Italian armchair and ottoman from the 1950s, crafted in wrought iron. The chair’s high back unfolds in a rectilinear grid, crowned with ball finials and anchored by splayed feet. ...
Iron
$6,400 / set
H 30.5 in W 24 in D 25 in
Pair of Rare Danish 1950's Barrel Style Chairs with Stained Oak Armrests
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Rare and beautiful barrel or tub style lounge chairs made in Denmark in the 1940's. Unique design and a strong presence to anchor a room even with their smaller size. Legs, armrests...
Wool, Teak, Oak
$2,609 / set
H 34 in W 22 in D 23 in
Thonet, a Pair of 1930s Tubular Steel Armchairs with Ebonized Armrests
By Marcel Breuer
Located in London, GB
Thonet, an interesting pair of 1930s tubular steel armchairs in the Bauhaus style, each side is one flowing tube, organic shaped arms and conforming ebon...
Steel
Percival Lafer armchair and ottoman
By Percival Lafer
Located in Barcelona, ES
Lounge chair and ottoman Manufactured by Lafer S.A. Ind. Com. Brazil, 1960s Leather, jacaranda Measurements 91,4cmx81,3cmx91,4hcm 36inx32inx36hin Provenance Private Collection, Sao P...
Leather, Jacaranda
$26,600
H 26.38 in W 32.49 in D 29.53 in
MP-71 Armchair with ottoman by Percival Lafer, 1970s, Brazilian Midcentury
By Percival Lafer
Located in New York, NY
In his designs, Percival Lafer sought ergonomy and comfort. The MP-71 armchair, from 1973/1974, is a derivative from MP-61 – his first piece with a visible fiberglass shell structure. The MP-71 comprises a visible fiberglass shell that swives on a base also made of fiberglass. The upholstery follows the same principle as the MP-61, with laminated foam applied directly to the shell. Móveis Lafer...
Leather, Cedar
1960s Yngve Ekström Lamino for Swedese Chair
By Yngve Ekström, Swedese
Located in Monrovia, CA
1960s Yngve Ekström Lamino chair for Swedese Scandinavian Modern design is stamped, Made In Sweden. A Scandinavian Modern Design of the 1960s by Yngv...
Brass
$4,160Sale Price|20% Off
H 30.71 in W 42.13 in D 33.47 in
De Sede "DS-101" Leather Lounge Chair and Ottoman, 1960s
By De Sede
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare De Sede high quality leather lounge armchair DS 101 with ottoman. Very comfortable - the seat pulls out in front for more of a recline. Known from the James Bond movie "On H...
Leather
$36,400
H 29.34 in W 43.31 in D 34.65 in
Vintage 'Mole' Rosewood Armchair with Ottoman by Sergio Rodrigues, 1957, Brazil
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in New York, NY
Sergio Rodrigues created the "Mole'' concept between 1956 and 1957 at the photographer Otto Stupakoff's request, who wanted a two-seater sofa for his studio. The sofa should have cus...
Leather, Rosewood
$2,850
H 37.8 in W 32.29 in D 29.93 in
Pierre Paulin F-444 Lounge Chair by Artifort, 1960s — Mesh Seat
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Dronten, NL
A striking example of mid-century innovation, this F-444 lounge chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort epitomizes the designer’s sculptural yet functional approach to modern seating. D...
Steel
$7,400
H 34.25 in W 25.75 in D 27.5 in
Rare Model "Mikki" Armchair by Carl Gustaf Hiort Af Ornäs Finland 1940s
By Carl Gustaf Hiort af Ornäs
Located in Bridgeport, CT
This rare chair model "Mikki” were designed by Carl Gustaf Hiort Af Ornäs and produced by his own company, Puunveisto Oy in the mid 1940s in Finland. Super elegant and enticingly fun...
Wool, Wood
$2,888Sale Price|24% Off
H 27.5 in W 23.5 in D 27.5 in
Rosewood and Leather 'Sloucher' Lounge Chair by Don Shoemaker, 1960s, Signed
By Senal
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An iconic example of Mexican modernist craftsmanship, this original “Sloucher” lounge chair was designed by Don Shoemaker for Senal, Mexico, circa 1960s. Executed in richly grained solid rosewood with its original thick saddle leather sling seat and bearing the original Senal S.A. label, this sculptural lounge chair represents one of Shoemaker’s most celebrated and enduring designs. Don Shoemaker is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Mexican modern furniture...
Leather, Rosewood
Art Deco Lounge Armchair with Ottoman
Located in High Point, NC
A classic Art Deco lounge chair paired with an ottoman, reflecting the period’s focus on comfort and geometric elegance. The rounded form and upholstered surfaces create a luxurious ...
Wood