In 1903, a group of architects and craftsmen succeeded in realizing their dream of fusing architecture and interior design into a "Gesamtkunstwerk" - a "total work of art". The Wiener Werkstatte (Vienna Workshops) combined fine and applied art to convey a whole new outlook on life, liberated from the strictures of historicism and superfluous ornamentation. The artists experimented with an endless variety of materials, from gold and precious stones to papier mache and glass beads. This book explores the Wiener Werkstatte, following the 30-year fortunes of this crafts studio. Over 350 illustrations record the entire scope of the Viennese designers' output: buildings and furniture; metal objects and ceramics; jewellery and graphics.