家具：傳奇的

舒利姆·科瑞姆珀（Schulim Krimper）

佚名

ANONYMOUS

FURNITURE

Thelegendary Schulim Krimper

THE OWNER OF this extraordinary collectionof furniture by furniture maker Schulim Krimper has filled their entire homewith the designer’s pieces. In every room there are sideboards, diningtables, chairs, coffee tables or cabinetry. There’s evenbuilt-in joinery by Krimper, designed for the owner’sparents.

Ifyou look under tables or protective cloths, you’ll findmore Krimper, who made his impact on the Melbourne design scene from the 1940sthrough to the 1960s. Originally from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Krimperdesigned entire interiors for his Melbourne clientele shortly after he arrivedin 1939.

Theowner recalls how Krimper would arrive in his dustcoat and take extensivedetails about what was needed. ‘He woregloves, particularly when a certain built-in unit would arrive. And doorwayswere always extremely well protected,’ says theowner, who started collecting Krimper furniture from the mid-1950s.

Someof the furniture, such as the six-seater lounge suite in the formal dining areaand the lamp beside it, belonged to the owner’sparents. But these whetted the owner’sappetite to collect their own Krimper pieces. In most of the rooms there aredining tables and chairs created by the maker. For example,in the kitchen there are two full dining suites. Buffets, one of the owner’sfavourite furniture types, can be found in almost every room, including thebedrooms.

‘Buffetsshow Krimper’simmense talent for joinery,’ says theowner, pointing out the drawers with a dovetail-end and the fine brass rodsused to strengthen some of the heavier cupboard doors.

Theowner’sfirst Krimper purchases were a 1960s bookcase made from Queensland walnut and adaybed from the same period. ‘There’sno French polishing. Krimper used to wax his furniture. It feels like velvet.’Then there are the more unusual pieces, such as a 1960s cocktail cabinet. Oneof the rarest pieces in the collection is a unit custom-designed for the firsttelevision set. ‘Krimper had an exhibition in New York and I had this sentover.’

Difficultto pigeon-hole, the owner describes Krimper’s styleas a fusion of various influences, from Biedermeier to folk-like. ‘It’s quiteorganic in feel, but it always celebrates the timber, whether it’sQueensland walnut or teak.’ The depthand breadth of Krimper’s designsare also impressive. There are tea trolleys, glory boxes, bedheads and evenfine timber bowls and utensils that came as part of a buffet. Some of thepieces recall another time. With the advent of the mobile phone, Krimper’stelephone table now seems an oddity.

OtherKrimper designs show a fascination for the East. Some of the sideboards andbedheads are inspired by Japanese pergolas.

Otherpieces feature fine parquetry tops and concealed nooks. But irrespective of theitem, they all show a highly developed talent and understanding of engineering,allowing even the heaviest drawers to slide with great ease.

Althoughhaving hundreds of Krimper items, the owner hasn’t sloweddown their desire to collect more. People hear about this collection throughword of mouth, and rather than pass on their Krimper to a dealer, they contactthis owner to see if they’reinterested. Some pieces are also found at auctions or in stores. However, theowner can see straight away whether a piece is highly collectable. There’sa rare chess table in the billiard room or the highly desirable office desk andchair in the main bedroom – with itschunky glass table top.

Whileeach of the Krimper pieces are treasured, so are the memories of meeting thedesigner and seeing him deliver pieces to the family home. ‘Sometimeshe would meet with a client, take down all the details and go away. You wouldn’thear from him for two years and there’d be aphone call announcing it was ready,’ says theowner. ‘Itwas never what you had expected, well beyondyour expectations.’