"Gesamtkunstwerk" the Philosophy of the Wiener Werkstätte

The workshops designed interior spaces collaboratively, using a design philosophy of the "total work of art," or in German the "Gesamtkunstwerk." This idea of a Gesamtkunstwerk permeated the creative processes of the Werkstätte. They created projects collectively, and designed and fabricated everything for the interiors themselves, from silverware to upholstery. The Perhaps the most famous example of this creative process is the Palais Stoclet in Belgium, which was commissioned by Adolphe Stoclet and built between the years of 1905 to 1911. The building's rooms are designed so that the lines created by furniture and architectural elements are proportional to one another, and so that the materials and color palette feels unified. Additionally, shapes such as the square repeat throughout the entire building.


Likewise, they believed in treating the materials in an honest fashion. Many pieces were made by staining wood black, and then rubbing white pigment into the grain. This was done to make the surface more interesting and lively. Hoffmann and the Wiener Werkstätte rejected the idea that wood should be stained for the sake of making it appear as if it was another kind of more expensive wood. They allowed their materials to stand on their own, becoming a motif in and of themselves.