I’ve always thought of Vienna in the traditional sense: it’s the city of music and cafes. However, in modern-day Vienna, design has found a place in this beautiful city. I took a stroll around the cold and windy city last month looking for some cool design spots. Many of the cool design shops are actually concentrated in the 7th district of Neubau, in the side streets between Mariahilfer Straße and Burggasse.
The first store I visited was Lichterloh, which is a shop specializing in 20th century modern furniture from Austria and the rest of the world. The shop spans two stories full of design eye candy and is not to be missed. Shop staff are always ready to answer questions.
I did some more wandering and ran into Decco Lifestyle on Stiftgasse, and the shop was already full of people checking out design. I ended up buying two of the “lunchbag shades” that you see below. It’s a German design that comes with a tealight holder that can be placed inside the bag, and when it lights up the light comes through the stenciled bag. I used it over Christmas and people loved it.
My last stop was at Die Sellerie, which is a shop on Burggasse which was founded by four graphic designers. Each item in the shop was handpicked by one or more of the designers – and as you would expect, they also feature original designs from the four founders. It’s a small shop of many surprises.
When in Vienna, do pick up the Guided Vienna booklet, or just download it onto your phone or tablet, so you can do a self-guided design tour of Vienna! Also check out these guides on Trendy Gumpendorf and Emerging Austrian Designers for more.
Carnet d’adresses:
Lichterloh
Gumpendorferstraße 15-17, 1060 Wien
Decco Lifestyle
Stiftgasse 13, 1070 Wien
Die Sellerie
Burggasse 21, 1070 Wien