Herta-Maria Witzemann had a decisive influence on daily life in Germany in the 1950s. She acquired an excellent reputation as a furniture designer, working on behalf of various international manufacturers.

The settee is a multifaceted type of furniture, most often crafted from wood and fashioned to suit virtually any style. Around the 17th century, the term “settee” came into play and described a bench with a back that made it look like a double chair. Today, the term describes a small sofa or any long seat with a back. Besides the obvious functionality, this settee has numerous visual elements that make it special. The walnut frame is crafted with outmost precision, that shows Witzemann’s background in both carpentry and architecture. The design is in the vein of mid-century modernism’s sleek and streamlined minimalism, with a shell back, front stretcher, and tapered legs that are elongated to form the support for the back as well. The angles are so crisp that they can be considered as a form of decoration, just like the walnut’s beautiful grain and pattern variety showcased throughout the settee. The elegant upholstery further adds to the overall impression of sleek elegance with its restrained colour and interesting texture.

From the 1950s, Herta-Maria Witzemann advanced to become one of the most influential German interior designers with international acclaim. She was awarded the most prestigious awards in the country, and designed her most well-known furniture pieces for the Schörle & Gölz furniture factory, including this gorgeous settee.

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SOLD

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Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The settee has been reupholstered recently in a premium fabric. Each of our items can be reupholstered by our in-house atelier in a fabric of choice. Please reach out for more information.

Dimensions:

49.6 in W x 24.8 in D x 28.54 in H; Seat height 14.17 in

126 cm W x 63 cm D x 72.5 cm H; Seat height 36 cm

About the designer:

Herta-Maria Witzemann (1918-1999]) was an interior and furniture designer. She was a university teacher and president of the Association of German Interior Designers. She had a decisive influence on daily life in Germany in the 1950s. As well as designing countless town halls, spa rooms and administration buildings, she was also responsible for many prominent projects such as the Baden-Württemberg Landtag (state parliament) and the Kanzlerbungalow (Chancellor’s Bungalow) in Bonn.

After the Second World War she worked for four years in well-known architectural offices in Stuttgart. This was followed by a period of self-employment as an interior and furniture designer, during which she not only took on private and industrial orders, but also interior design for public buildings, such as town halls, the St. Georgen Radio and television studios for the Süddeutscher Rundfunk in Stuttgart, spa houses, several administrative buildings, the casino, and spa house in Baden-Baden, the Wilhelmspalais, and the New Palace and the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart just to name a few.

In addition, she developed series furniture for around ten companies, some of which are well-known beyond Europe, such as Knoll-International, Walter Knoll, Thonet, Erwin Behr and Heal's London. She designed for seven exhibitions in Germany and abroad, for example at the Interbau in Berlin in 1957, the Triennale in Milan, for which she received a silver medal, and in 1958 at the World Exhibition in Brussels, in London and in Venice.

Witzemann shared her knowledge and experience with successive generations of talented interior architects as an author and as a lecturer at the State Academy of Visual Arts in Stuttgart, and from 1972 until 1977 was president of the Association of German Architects. Her achievements and commitment were not only acknowledged by awards for her exhibitions, but also with the First Class Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.