Situated within Vienna’s historic Palais Harrach at Freyung, The Treasury expands its avant-garde sensibility into the realm of spatial architecture with The Art of Living. Transcending conventional residential design, the Austrian boutique curates an evocative sensory environment where raw organic textures, hand-pleated leathers, burnt timber totems, and patinated metals converge. Anchored by sculptural furniture works from Baxter and visionary design duo Draga & Aurel, the presentation elevates interior space into an emotional, tactile reflection of personal character.
Within the baroque courtyards of Palais Harrach on Vienna’s Freyung, The Treasury has long operated as an uncompromising sanctuary for artisanal tailoring. With The Art of Living, interior directors Claudia Maschke extends the boutique’s tactile criteria into private domestic space, curating furniture and room concepts with the same rigorous material standards applied to bespoke garments.
The interior architecture relies on architectural solids and unvarnished surfaces: terracotta lime wash, deep cognac leathers, coarse wool bouclé, honed natural marble, and charred structural oak. Vaulted windows channel Viennese daylight across waxed floorboards and polished screed, isolating each piece as an autonomous sculptural form within the room.
Reflections of Character: Earth Tones and Curvilinear Geometry
Atmospheric density defines the primary living quarters. Low wooden platforms carry layered, untreated linen throws in umber, moss, and peat. An oversized circular mirror bounded by raw steel interrupts the planar walls, throwing daylight into recessed alcoves and reflecting sheer gauze partitions. In the adjoining corner, a low-slung swivel armchair clad in cognac nubuck anchors the terracotta wash, establishing volume through compact, organic geometry.
Architectural Proportions: The Leon Sofa by Draga & Aurel for Baxter
Italian manufacturer Baxter anchors the main salon through the Leon Sofa, developed in collaboration with design studio Draga & Aurel. The design asserts massive, low-profile scale, countered by deep horizontal curves that wrap the body.
Full-aniline leather covers the expansive seat, tailored with dense micro-pleating and structural welt seams reminiscent of articulated leather outerwear. Installed directly on bare polished concrete beneath circular stoneware discs, the piece acts as an architectural partition, organizing movement through the hall through pure mass and curved volume.
Material Assembly: Graphic Geometries and High-Pile Textures
The Treasury’s material library pairs discordant tactile weights to build friction within quiet rooms. Folded sample trays assemble heavy woven textiles, lustrous bronze satin, washed chalk linens, and coarse slubbed tweed.
That tension translates into the seating arrangements. An architectural bench upholstered in high-contrast triangular jacquard cuts through the ambient warmth with sharp graphic rhythm. Elevated on tapered dark legs capped with brass ferrules, the piece rests over a hand-knotted open-weave fringe runner, balancing rigorous modernist geometry against artisanal textile craft.
Organic Contours: The Chicago Sofa by Baxter
Presented in The Treasury’s curation as the Cigaco, Baxter’s Chicago Sofa—designed by Italian architect Paola Navone—pursues relaxed elegance through rounded, voluptuous forms. Upholstered in buttery caramel nabuck leather, the modular design emphasizes tactile softness and sensory ease.
Dense vertical shirring and gathered channel fluting articulate the low base and curved arm bolsters, while oversized pillowed cushions invite the body to sink into the seat. Dispensing with rigid perimeter framing, the piece lets leather drape, plush volume, and tailored piping establish its sculptural presence in the room.
Structural Tension: Scorched Oak, Veined Marble, and Woven Fiber
Vertical architectural interventions give the rooms functional weight. A sculptural storage totem built from deeply scorched, wire-brushed oak presents a tiered geometric façade, utilizing charred timber techniques to seal the wood grain while generating a light-absorbing, matte black silhouette.
In the lounge, a low sectional in oatmeal bouclé adjoins an integrated cantilever table of dark, heavily veined marble, juxtaposing polished stone against dense loop pile and an ochre knit accent cushion. Anchoring the space, a tall scorched live-edge timber slab stands against a textured wall relief incised with rhythmic horizontal battens. Across each element, natural mineral striations, tool marks, and carbonized grain remain exposed without synthetic coatings.
Private Spatial Consultation: The Treasury Interior at Palais Harrach
The Treasury conducts private spatial consultations directly from its headquarters at Freyung 3. Claudia Maschke’s team develops residential environments encompassing custom millwork, architectural lighting programs, textile selections, and limited production furniture pieces from European artisan workshops.
By uniting collectible design from Baxter with custom architectural fabrications and historical Viennese masonry, The Treasury presents an interior philosophy grounded in weight, permanence, and uncompromised tactile depth.
