MEISTERSTRASSE_LONDON_GUIDE

MEISTERSTRASSE
HANDMADE
MEISTERSTRASSE
in
RESIDENCE
Best AUSTRIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP
meets international arts and crafts
from JAPAN and THAILAND.
MAY 11th – 14th, 2023 / 11am – 6pm
AUSTRIAN EMBASSY IN LONDON
18, BELGRAVE SQUARE
LONDON SW1X 8H
WWW.MEISTERSTRASSE.COM

MEISTERSTRASSE
HANDMADE
... an Austrian-founded, international
platform of excellence, representing
heritage manufacturers as well as independent
artisans, showcases producers
from Austria, Thailand and Japan:
www.meisterstrasse.com
Former Purveyors to the Court as well as young
designers are building a bridge between traditional
and contemporary crafts.
The almost unchanged 19th century ambiance of
the Austrian Embassy as former Imperial Embassy of
the Habsburg Monarchy creates the perfect atmosphere
for a crafts journey through time and space.
MEISTERSTRASSE
HANDMADE
MAKERS
EXHIBITING
J&L LOBMEYR
A.E. KÖCHERT
L. BÖSENDORFER
FREY WILLE
KARAK
SCHAU SCHAU
YOGESH KUMAR
SANJA LULEI
FRANZ J. IPPOLDT
KATHARINE COLEMAN
GUNDA HAFNER
HIYOSHIYA
KYOTO AMPLITUDE
KORAKOT AROMDEE
mouthblown glass and chandeliers / Vienna
Jewelers / Vienna
Piano Manufactory / Vienna
Enamel and Jeweler / Vienna
Handmade tiles / Bludenz
Bespoke eyewear / Vienna
Customised perfumes / Vienna
Textile design and art / Düsseldorf
Handweaving in silk / Rozier-en-Donzy
Glass engraver / London
Garment / London
Umbrellas and lampshades / Tokyo
Craft & Design / Kyoto
Lighting and sculpture / Petchaburi
WWW.MEISTERSTRASSE.COM

J&L
LOBMEYR
Since 1823, the family-run
crystal and chandelier
manufacturer Lobmeyr has set
quality standards. Throughout
its history, the traditional
Viennese company has been at
the forefront of developing
breath-taking new designs and
accompanied every technical
innovation in lighting
technology.
Together with T.A Edison, they co-developed
the first electric chandeliers in the world in
1880, propelling them into six generations of
international success, showcasing their
products in prestigious properties such as the
Metropolitan Opera in New York. Besides the
highest aesthetic level of Lobmeyr’s creations,
the company still holds up traditional crafting
techniques that distinguish Lobmeyr pieces
from mere products, but as works of art.
Created in their own workshops within the
heart of Vienna relying on traditional crafting
techniques opens the world of custom and
bespoke. This dedication to handcrafting is
not made lightly but always with the benefit
for the designer and client in mind. As such,
even making a bestselling item such as the
Metropolitan Chandelier, every item becomes
a unique example of the highest art of the
trade. This, together with the highest
demand on design creates timeless classics
that endure the centuries. This is now ever
truer as Lobmeyr turns 200 years old.
meisterstrasse.com/lobmeyr

A.E
KÖCHERT
meisterstrasse.com/koechert-juweliere
Taking pleasure in beauty is the
motto of the more than 200-
year tradition of the A.E.
Köchert firm. The Neuer Markt
jewelers have always achieved
an outstanding combination of
classical and modern design in
their work.
In 1814 Emanuel Pioté founded a goldsmith
workshop in Vienna, but it was Jakob
Heinrich Köchert who, by joining the firm
five years later, laid the cornerstone for the
Viennese jeweler’s dynasty – the house of
Köchert. Since that time, it has been a
marked family and firm tradition that the
doors to the Neuer Markt shop are open to
well-known artists who, in productive
collaboration with our their singularly
talented master goldsmiths, have created
one-of-a-kind jewels.
The onetime Imperial Court Jeweler Emanuel
Köchert (1825-1879) owed his additional title
of “Kammerjuwelier” (“Chamber Jeweler”),
by which he was also charged with the care
of the treasury and the jewels of the imperial
family Habsburg-Lothringen, to the renown
of the goldsmith firm. During the period
when the firm served as Jeweler to the
Imperial and Royal Court, Köchert’s stars for
Empress Elisabeth, among other things,
caused an international sensation. These stars
are today once again being produced and
enjoy widespread popularity.
Today the Köchert family continues the
tradition of the A.E. Köchert name in perfect
form and style. More than ever, the A.E.
Köchert firm today stands for an outstanding
tradition of craftsmanship, precious materials,
and unique design which combines classical
and modern elements to produce exquisite
jewels. The satisfaction of our customers is still
our most important measure of a job well
done. More than 200 years of continuing
tradition form our consciousness of our firm’s
long history. Everything we do, we do in the
awareness of the responsibility this tradition
brings.

L. BÖSEN-
DORFER
Bösendorfer is an Austrian piano
manufacturer and considered
the longest established piano
company in the premium
market. The heritage of
Bösendorfer goes back to 1828
when the company was
founded by Ignaz Bösendorfer.
Renowned for its expressive
sound combined with the
selection of finest materials,
Bösendorfer has achieved
perfection in crafting grand
pianos.
The most recent collector’s item grand piano
from the Bösendorfer Artist Series is the Tree
of Life by Gustav Klimt. The Tree of Life
painting was created during the artist’s
golden period and is one of his most wellknown
works. The theme of the frieze
symbolizes the cycle of life.
For this 214VC grand piano we transfer an
imagery of The Tree of Life original drawing
to the piano lid interior using sophisticated
reprographic techniques. The music stand
uses further elements from the Tree of Life
including the striking Horus falcons. As a
collector’s item the Tree of Life Grand Piano is
limited to 25 instruments worldwide.
meisterstrasse.com/klaviermanufaktur-boesendorfer

FREY
WILLE
Founded in Vienna in 1951,
FREYWILLE has since become a
synonym for luxurious jewellery
featuring unique artistic motifs
made of fire enamel. Taking
inspiration from the great works
of artists like Claude Monet,
Vincent van Gogh or Sandro
Botticelli as well as elements of
art history, the in-house-artists
at FREYWILLE create new artistic
artworks with every collection.
To this day each piece of
jewellery is produced in the
company’s own manufactory in
the heart of Vienna, mostly
crafted by hand during an
elaborate process.
meisterstrasse.com/freywille
The only company worldwide to create
artistic jewellery, FREYWILLE is driven by a
deep fascination for culture and or example
deeply collaborates with Claude Monet
Foundation or Hundertwasser Foundation to
create homages to these unique artists.
Today the company is operating more than
30 boutiques worldwide and is also
represented by highly renowned jewellery
partners.

KARAK
Surrounded by the Alps,
KARAK ceramic tiles are
created in a former spinning
mill in western Austria’s
Vorarlberg region. Nothing
in the 150-year-old building
was made for Raku — and yet
everything here is as if made for.
KARAK-tiles unite opposites into a wellgrounded
entity. Traditional Japanese Rakufiring
technique meets contemporary
ornamentation in the ceramic workshop in
Vorarlberg, Austria. Karak produces goods
exclusively to order in a small-scale, artisanal
process. Adapted to architecture and
individual customer requirements, each tile
literally ‘walks through the fire’ and develops
its own unique character. Regardless of
whether you order one tile or one hundred,
each tile is unique and can never be
replicated. Whether for floors or walls,
cladding for a tiled stove or as a roomdividing
screen: The handcrafted process fills
every surface with life.
Like the Raku process itself, KARAK was also
born by chance, out of an idiosyncratic idea in
2007. Ceramic artist Marta Rauch-Debevec
and rammed-earth builder Martin Rauch
worked together to build the first selfsupporting
rammed-earth house in
Vorarlberg. Marta also wanted special tiles for
it — handmade and fired in the same ancient
Japanese technique she used to create her
sculptures and vases. With his passion for
digital ornamentation, son Sebastian
provided the equally extraordinary design:
the Raku ornamental tile was born.
In 2015, Sebastian Rauch and his childhood
friend Thomas Rösler assumed the art project
and founded a company. In 2019, KARAK
moved to the Klarenbrunn factory in
Bludenz. There could hardly be a better place
than an English brick building in the middle
of the Alps for people making tiles by hand
with conviction and passion.
meisterstrasse.com/fliesenmanufaktur-karak

SCHAU
SCHAU
The Schau Schau eyewear
studio, founded by master
optometrist and eyeglass maker
Peter Th. Kozich, is located in
the very heart of the Vienna city
center. It has been producing
exclusive eyewear by hand since
the late 1970s.
The hand-made glasses’ distinctive designs
have already won several prestigious design
and innovation awards. In addition, Schau
Schau, a family business, was presented with
the Austrian National Coat of Arms Badge for
distinguished achievement and an
uncompromising pursuit of superior quality.
A pair of spectacles made by the house of
Schau Schau is not just a beautiful piece of
modern design, but also an example of
meticulous craftsmanship using superior topquality
raw materials like cellulose acetate (a
by-product of cotton), buffalo horn and
precious metals. It is this acute sense of
perception and precision that has drawn
commissions from many celebrities from the
worlds of business, art, politics and sport.
meisterstrasse.com/brillenmacher-schau-schau

YOGESH
KUMAR
Yogesh Kumar has only to smell
a person’s neck or scarf to know
the character through the body’s
own five elements. He uses the
“base notes” and combines
them with the “heart notes”.
These form the essential
character of a bespoke
composition which uplift the
personality – the nuance of a
unique scent.
Yogesh Kumar creates special compositions
for unique people and complete scent
concepts for companies and events. Today,
scents are being used by many brands as an
olfactory logo. They serve both as finesmelling
perfumes as well as adding a set of
positive emotional associations to a
company’s image, product image and
presentation.
For the past 35 years Yogesh Kumar has been
working on individual scent concepts and
compositions. Originally from India, he has
made Austria his home for 25 years. Here he
develops customised scents for private
individuals, corporate concepts for
“emotional communication” and scent
events for companies. He has developed scent
motives for the Dubai Opera Ball, Ford
Austria, Hirsch Bracelets, Bank Austria,
Austrian National Tourist Office, Anger
Machining, Schallaburg and Belvedere
Museum.
meisterstrasse.com/yogesh-parfum

SANJA
LULEI
Sanja Lulei is textile designer
and weaver based in Germany.
Through interconnections of
various fibres, weaves and
colours, she creates exciting
surface effects and cosy
ambiences.
The artist specialises in manipulating woven
textiles and placing them into new contexts.
Whether flat, fold or tubular fabric, they all
form the starting point of a creative journey
between art, design and weaving. At the
same time, it’s the base for sensory textiles –
textiles that we can see, feel and experience
with our senses; textiles that are hand-woven
and naturally dyed.
Likewise, Sanja explores the relationship
between light and fibre in her objects. Backlit
woven surfaces unite atmosphere with
aesthetics, enriching our living spaces,
calming our spirits and boosting our souls.
Furthermore, the technique of double
weaving permits designing ready-to-use
products that do not required cutting and
stitching processes, which makes the
craftsmanship even more impressive.
Graduated from the University of Art and
Design Linz, Austria, her works have been
exhibited in Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest,
Paris, Copenhagen and South Korea. For her
creative and artistic work, Sanja Lulei received
i.a. the Design Prize of the City of Linz.
meisterstrasse.com/sanjalulei

FRANZ J.
IPPOLDT
Franz Ippoldt originates from
the center of one of the most
famous historic textile regions in
Austria: from Haslach
Mühlviertel.
He was trained in various weaving techniques
in Salzburg, Vienna and then at the
Fondazione Lisio in Florence, later becoming
the technical director of the Fondazione.
On turning 30, he decided to serve the history
of textile and founded his company “Soierie
des Fantasques” in France. Since then, he has
been producing historic, thread-true, 100%
replica, working on his own hand weaving
looms.
It is said that his workshop is one of the
world’s three best silk-weaving workshops.
Franz is as much craftsman as researcher in
the field of textile art history. He has also reinvented
ancient techniques by analysing
historic fabrics and constructed tools and
instruments to apply those traditional
methods.
meisterstrasse.com/weberei-ippoldt

KATHERINE
COLEMAN
Katharine’s work focuses on
simple, natural sources. She
studied glass engraving with
Peter Dreiser in London in
1984-7 and has work in many
international public collections,
including the V&A (UK), Veste
Coburg (D), Corning (USA) and
MUDAC (CH). She exhibits
widely, was a finalist in the
Coburger Glaspreis 2006, 2014
and 2022. In 2009 received an
MBE (UK State Medal) for her
glass engraving.
Technically skilled, Katharine works on clear
lead crystal with colour overlays, blown to her
design by Potter Morgan Glass and Sonja
Klingler. She is particularly interested in
copper wheel engraving on glass, which was
put on the Red List of Endangered Crafts by
the Heritage Crafts Association in 2021. To
celebrate the UN International Year of Glass
2022, the Victoria and Albert Museum made
a short film of her working in their series
“How Was This Made?”
Born in 1949 in the West Midlands, Katharine
still teaches engraving in Germany and the
USA and, as a co-founder of the international
Glass Engraving Network, she is determined
to see glass engraving achieve its full
potential as a contemporary art form.
meisterstrasse.com/katharinecoleman

GUNDA
HAFNER
Gunda Hafner is an eco-
conscious womenswear label
appealing to a wide range of
women who care about the
environment.
The company places sustainability at its heart,
using natural fibres, certified, recycled
materials and upcycle to minimise the
consequences of synthetics.
The small team designs the collections,
develops the patterns and produces the
prototypes of knitted and woven pieces from
their studio in Greater London. The garments
are then produced locally in Wimbledon to
guarantee a low carbon footprint and to
ensure pieces are unique yet made to an
exceptional standard.
meisterstrasse.com/gundahafner

HIYOSHIYA
KOTARO
NISHIBORI
Founded in the late Edo period
(1600-1868) in Kyoto, the
Hiyoshiya workshop specialised
in the production of the finest
traditional Japanese umbrellas
and is the only producer of this
kind of umbrellas in Kyoto
today.
Japanese umbrellas made of bamboo and
washi paper have long played an important
ceremonial and symbolic role in traditional
forms of culture, such as the Japanese tea
ceremony and the No and Kabuki theatre.
Today, they are popular as an accessory to
promote Japanese inns, high class Japanese
restaurants, hotels and shops. They are also
appreciated as an object for interior design
and continue to be a favorite souvenir choice
among tourists.
Kotaro, the present fifth-generation head of
Hiyoshiya, still produces with excellent
craftsmanship the wagasa umbrellas in the
traditional way but has also spread the
business into the fabrication of innovative
interior design products.
Wagasa, the traditional washi paper umbrella
on a bamboo frame has been an integral part
of Japanese culture for centuries. The KOTORI
lamp collection inspired by the wagasa
reproduces the warm atmosphere of sunlight
passing through the delicate washi paper.
Manufactured with the same traditional
technique and mechanism as the Japanese
umbrella, the KOTORI lighting collection was
presented with great success at all the
important international craft exhibitions in
Europe.
Made with technical perfection, the Kotori
lamps are available as pendant, side or floor
lamps in different sizes and color schemes.
They are perfect fit for contemporary
interiors and if needed, can be folded and
stowed like an umbrella.
meisterstrasse.com/wagasa-hiyoshiya

KYOTO
AMPLITUDE
The connection between
craftsmen and creators.
Kyoto is home to both, craftsmen with a
range of skills and top-class creators. These
people develop many types of materials and
designs, honing their skills as they give form
to the richness of life.
Sustainable values have been fostered handin-hand
with this culture, making Kyoto
home to a wealth of unique designs,
techniques, and production sites that serve as
its resources.
Kyoto Amplitude Co., Ltd. is a trading
company that focuses on Kyoto’s magnificent
resources, redesigning them into comfortable
spaces and refined products to provide new
value to society.
Each generation creates new values, and the
world now wants to be more natural, more
sustainable, with a better quality of life.
Kyoto Amplitude will contribute to increasing
the magnitude of the “spiritual richness”
value among the natural sensibilities of
people with these values.
By looking on traditional culture from a
different angle while having in mind the new
values that each era brings, rich values are
created, and Kyoto Amplitude fuses them
into today’s lifestyle before promoting them
to the world.
The word “Amplitude” refers to increasing
the richness, depth and breadth of the
cultures and resources developed in Kyoto.
The company increases the amplitude of
constantly honed “Kyoto” values, offering
them anew as a global trend.
Kyoto Amplitude devotes itself to luxury and
strives to bring together creators and users
again by spreading the word to the world on
what the true nature of richness is.
meisterstrasse.com/kyoto_amplitude

ÈÅÆÈÅÇ
ÄÃÂÁÀÀ
TOIMPNLHGLJIEEISEDIMRHPIEFPB
QICGAINRR@?MIRBPE>=