Viennese Secession Beech Coffee Table from J.J. Kohn, 1890s

An elegant Viennese beech coffee table from the early 1900s, produced by J.J. Kohn. The beech was steam-bent, stained a warm dark mahogany, and polished. The four slender, slightly flared legs feature the typical double fluting on the top. On the sides, the crosspieces display the famous three paired circular holes, an unmistakable trademark of Kohn's production. Vertical and horizontal slats create an airy and rigorous geometric interplay. The rectangular top, with beveled edges, barely protrudes, light and perfectly proportioned. It is not the austere black of the Wiener Werkstätte, but the luminous mahogany of the mass production. An industrial yet extremely refined object, designed to sit next to an armchair. Clean lines, a lack of superfluous ornamentation, the pure essence of the Secession. Even today, it seems to have come from a contemporary atelier. A small, everyday masterpiece that's 120 years old and doesn't look it. A piece that anyone who loves design recognizes at first glance.