Blocks echoes the same profile as the iconic Club 1910 armchair by Josef Hoffman while highlighting Wittman's mastery of craftsmanship.

Wittmann Möbelwerkstätten, a family-owned furniture manufacturer in Austria with a historical archive of Josef Hoffman designs, recently tapped Shanghai-based designers and architects Lyndon Neri and Rosanna Hu of Neri&Hu with a unique proposal: to reinterpret a piece of furniture by the Austrian architect. Hoffman is credited as one of the founders of the Vienna Secession, a design movement that deviated from the traditional, Art Nouveau style at the time and spurred a new one that was heavily geometric and linear. Neri&Hu?s signature style, however, is led by a sense of lightness and delicacy. They asked themselves, ?How can we continue the lineage of this particular brand without negatively impacting the tradition and history behind it, while evolving it into something new"? In stepping out of their comfort zone to take on Wittmann?s challenge, the pair evolves Hoffman?s Club 1910 armchair to create Blocks, a series of modular sofa elements that echo the same iconic shape.
Club 1910 Chair by Josef Hoffmann
Club 1910 Chair by Josef Hoffmann
The modularity of Blocks makes it adaptable and flexible for today?s residential and commercial environments. The low-slung modules can stand on their own or be configured to perfectly fit different sized spaces. Wittmann?s mastery of upholstery craftsmanship shines through wit...