Across countless settings and occasions, Wilde + Spieth’s Classic Collection has for decades extended an ongoing invitation to the architects, interior designers, and discerning individuals with whom our approach continues to resonate: a bid to further a quiet legacy anchored in progressive design values, uncompromising craftsmanship, and a commitment to caring—about quality, responsible production, and longevity.

From our world to yours, this catalogue presents this twofold invitation that lies at the heart of what we do: to immerse yourself in our story, our designs, and our product details—so that you might find your vision and requirements reflected within them, just as Egon Eiermann himself did decades ago. We warmly invite you to take a seat with us.

Components of a Classic

What does it take to be timeless? Throughout our near-two centuries-long history, consistency—of production, aesthetics, and above all, quality—has been both our motivation and our objective. Across each decade’s ebbs and flows, we’d like to think it’s consistency that has allowed us to forge alliances with the world’s foremost architects, and that has earned our furniture its status among modern classics. While our story evolves, our impetus remains the same: to produce chairs of high-calibre comfort and understated elegance for a lifetime. A reflection on the components that enable us to do so follows.

Long-standing Tradition

Baden-Württemberg, 1831. The carpentry workshop Schreinerei Spieth was founded amidst the rich craft heritage of the Medieval town of Esslingen on the Neckar River. In 1912, Mr. Wilde joined the business, and the newly-formed Wilde + Spieth moved into roller shutter construction: a fortuitous undertaking, as the quality of the shutters gained the attention of pioneering German architect Egon Eiermann, who incorporated them into his domestic constructions and renovations. A flourishing partnership ensued, and in 1948, Eiermann’s need for durable, affordable furniture for his social housing construction lead him to propose a joint venture in furniture production. The moment was a pivotal one in the history of Wilde + Spieth, giving us a clarity of purpose that has since remained steadfast.

Trusted Partnership

Founded on shared values and complementary strengths, our partnership with Egon Eiermann was driven by a mutual appreciation for functional aesthetics, uncompromising precision and a dedication to perfectionism. The visionary architect provided the design ingenuity; we offered our expertise in craft and finely-tuned production techniques. The result, forged over a two-year-long process of experimentation in material and form, marked a breakthrough in the history of chair design: a seat and back made from pressed beech plywood and contoured to the human form for optimal sitting comfort. The development was met with such acclaim that it formed the base of 30 distinct designs over the following two decades. Each variation caters to specific requirements—from stack- and foldability to swivel functionality and bar stools—yet was unmistakably emblematic of the heightened function and pure form underpinning the collaboration that created it.

Meticulous Craftsmanship

Reverence for the natural properties of our materials has always guided our production methods. In the 1950s, plywood was rarely used in the German market, so we started to work with it from scratch, creating our chair moulds and prototypes—along with the technology required to produce them— ourselves. Today, the niche scale of our production has led us to entrust leading local specialists with our manufacturing, allowing us the flexibility to fulfil custom colour, coating, and functionality requests while ensuring the uncompromising quality of the ‘Made in Germany’ seal remains true. Environmental responsibility is integral to every step of our process: durability is ingrained in each chair’s design, and further ensured by our commitment to first-grade materials. For every tree that becomes a Wilde + Spieth chair, another is planted—meaning that the forest from which we source our wood has remained the same size ever since 1870.

Designed to Endure

Simplicity, balance, universality: the priorities shared by Wilde + Spieth and Egon Eiermann have resulted in silhouettes and materials that seamlessly adapt to their surroundings as well today as they did in the 1950s. Today, we’re proud to focus on essentials that have stood the test of time: a refined range of icons that bridge the modern with the contemporary. Free of extraneous elements, the reduced forms of the chairs—and two tables—in our Classic Collection serve as ideal canvases for subtle updates that reflect present aesthetic preferences. A wide range of bespoke finish options, from matte powder-coated steel to natural wood finishes, enable the ongoing relevance of a classic within the zeitgeist, time and time again.

References

Furniture’s true quality reveals itself within its surroundings – in its interplay with the dimensions of architecture, nearby objects, and the intangible feeling that lends a certain constellation its enticing atmosphere. Enabling a dialogue between the elements of a room in pursuit of spatial harmony is a core tenet of our design philosophy.

The clean, gently curving forms that have characterised the Wilde + Spieth Classic Collection since its inception in the 1950s enables our chairs to integrate into a wide range of spaces, from neat rows of the SE 68 Multi-Purpose Chair bringing to life a revered cultural institution, or the considered placement of a single SE 42 3-Legged Chair in a cosy living room.

Universality equally lends our chairs the advantage of customisation. From natural finishes to progressive tones and bespoke upholstery, we are pleased to offer myriad possibilities for personalisation, further ensuring the optimal fit of our designs into your spaces.