Kalmar

Over five generations of craftsmanship Founded in Vienna by Julius August Kalmar in 1881, Kalmar first specialized in the production of handcrafted objects of cast bronze. The company soon established the practice of closely collaborating with prominent architects to create chandeliers and other cast bronze objects in Austria, Europe and the United States. Before long it was presenting custom-made wares at international exhibitions and recognized around the world as a premium foundry. The early years After the turn of the century, Julius Theodor Kalmar, son of the original founder, studied under the renowned Austrian architect and designer Josef Hoffmann at the Vienna School of Applied Arts and at the Birmingham School of Art and Design. Inspired by Hoffmann and the arts and crafts movement of the era, Julius pushed the company in a new direction, away from the eclectic style of the late 19th century, and in 1925, Kalmar designs began selling in Haus & Garten, an avant-garde shop for home furnishings founded by renowned architects Josef Frank and Oskar Wlach.