When they cross the threshold of the attractive red-brick building on Vienna’s Ringstrasse, visitors enter a world of furniture, textiles, carpets, wood and metal designs, glass and ceramics. The MAK – Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna is the first port of call for design collections in Vienna. Founded in 1863 as the Imperial Royal Austrian Museum of Art and Industry, the MAK’s permanent collection still brings together applied arts, design, architecture and contemporary art – bridging antiquity and the present day, from Asian art to the Wiener Werkstätte (established in 1903 by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser). The MAK has the largest collection of items produced by Wiener Werkstätte in the world.

The new MAK Design Lab is also well worth a visit, presenting design around everyday themes such as cooking, eating and drinking, seating and decorating, as it has changed over time. One area displays exhibits from the archive of Helmut Lang, who was born in Austria and is one of the most influential fashion designers of the last 30 years.

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Furniture and porcelain

Meanwhile, at the Vienna Furniture Museum furniture takes center stage, as the name suggests. The former imperial and royal furniture depot was entrusted with looking after the furnishings used in the various Habsburg households. With a focus on Biedermeier and Historicist styles, the museum provides a fascinating insight into interior design culture over the centuries, taking in everything from an imperial wheelchair to Empress Elisabeth’s bed chamber in the Hungarian town of Gödöllö to distinctive Thonet bentwood furniture.

The Augarten Porcelain Museum walks visitors through the history of porcelain making in Vienna from its inception right through to the present day. And at the Designforum in the MuseumsQuartier, the focus is on the creative industries and contemporary design, with regular exhibitions showcasing graphic design, multimedia work and product design.