Karl Schmidt, entrepreneur and co-founder of the Deutscher Werkbund, became one of the pioneers of modern industrial design. His life’s story reflects the many upheavals during what was an eventful epoch. He travelled through England, for example, where both the blessings and blunders of industrialization became evident at a much earlier stage than in Germany. When he saw the work of Henry van de Velde at the International Art Exhibition in Dresden in 1897 and came into contact with further protagonists of the movement that was endeavouring to find an alternative to phoney historicism, he knew he had found a home for his creative ambitions. He thereupon founded the Dresdner Werkstätten, a furniture factory that he made into a laboratory for “lifestyle reform” with the help of a team of craftsmen, artists and architects. The project was embedded in the garden town of Hellerau, which boasted a festival theatre and became a centre for expressive dance, an art form that took on enormous importance at the time. One of the main aims of the Werkstätten was to promote an “honest” domestic culture. But social concerns also played a role in Schmidt’s model operation. Even before the First World War, he had already introduced the 8.5-hour workday. Designers shared in the company’s profits. One of the outstanding furniture designers who worked there, along with Bruno Paul and others, was Richard Riemerschmid, the architect of Hellerau, whose Music Room Chair (Musikzimmerstuhl) of 1899 transcended the conventions of the genre. His machinemade furniture designed for series production soon became extremely popular and brought its creator both wealth and acclaim. In the meantime, the Dresdner and Münchner Werkstätten had merged, now calling themselves the Deutsche Werkstätten and employing a workforce of around 250. In 1913 no less than 20 artists, among them Peter Behrens, were at work on a program for establishing model types for German household items. “Sachlichkeit”, a rational approach to design, was celebrating its first triumphs in German homes. In the late 1920s Paul developed the additive furniture program he called the “growing home”, one of the precursors of modular furniture (see WK Wohnen). The Werkstätten in Hellerau remained an innovative enterprise, distinguishing itself for example in the development of plywood, block board and chipboard. Following Geman reunification, the company, which had been nationalized by the GDR, returned to private ownership and has made a name for itself since with high-quality interior design.