The soul of Austrian seating culture

Gernot Haberl is a master upholsterer and upholsterer and has been running the company founded by his father in St. Georgen im Attergau since 1998. He is supported by his daughter Alexandra, who has meanwhile also made the master. The Austrian tradition of upholstery technology is continued in this family business with a high level of craftsmanship.

Through professional complete restoration and upholstery, seating and reclining furniture is awakened to new life and once again into utility furniture for countless seating opportunities. The upholstery work on the historical furniture is carried out using natural materials: the suspension of the seat structure is hand-laced, then the interior is shaped and shaped with palm fiber (African), horsehair and jute. After the furniture has been covered with molino cotton, it is covered with the furniture fabric selected by the customer.

Chaise longue, ottoman, armchair, sofa, divan - all these are the exotic and sounding names of upholstered seating culture. The Austrian upholstery culture flourished during the time of the monarchy and has bequeathed a considerable variety of special seating and reclining furniture to posterity, which are not only beautiful, but also offer high seating comfort. Up until the 1960s, seating furniture was manufactured that could be repaired. Taking into account their long lifespan, the restoration of these diverse pieces of furniture is a good example of resource conservation, sustainability and the respectful use of energy, knowledge and skills of previous generations. As long as the traditional upholstery culture is valued and used, the high level of craftsmanship lives on.

Mastery

The traditional craft in Austria is characterized by the dual training system. In addition to the theoretical training in the vocational school, this ensures the personal and dynamic transfer of knowledge and skills in the craft business.

The dual training system in traditional handicrafts was and is characterized primarily by the qualifications of the masters, who are able to pass this knowledge on because of their extensive and practical experience in entrepreneurship as a leading figure. (see Sandgruber, Bichler-Ripfl, Walcher; Traditional handicrafts as intangible cultural heritage and economic factor in Austria, Vienna 2016, p. 33)

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