“ With their educational talent, materials surpass the best teachers”, is one of his guiding principles. Richard Riemerschmid’s solid chairs, usually made of untreated wood in which the grain is allowed to fully come into its own, stand in stark contrast to the addiction to grandiosity that otherwise marked his era. Initially, he took inspiration from country- style furnishings. Simple, clear-cut structures in which no attempt was made to hide the joints became Riemerschmid’s signature, both in individual pieces and later in inexpensive industrial series, which as “machine-made furniture” soon grew in popularity both in Germany and abroad. The programs he developed for the Dresden-based Deutsche Werkstätten are regarded by some as representing the birth of modern furniture design and made Riemerschmid – like Peter Behrens – one of the first sought-after designers. With his reform furnishings he was able to realize a dream turnover some years of over one million Reichsmarks, from which he received a certain percentage.