Hand crafted furniture
Shouldn’t every home have a Herbert Schrott?
In the Mirror Room Herbert Schrott scratches his forehead. The parquet floor won’t last much longer; it’s worn too thin after all these years. ”But we can fix it again for now,“ he says resolutely.
The historical Mirror Room
Furniture from the Wilhelminian period
Legs a bit wobbly?
We’re always repairing things at the Laurin. That’s why it’s still a Grand Hotel in the true sense of the word: built in 1910, and impeccably maintained ever since. Our in-house cabinetmakers carry out more than 3,000 small repairs each year. Herbert Schrott’s son, Dieter, has been with us for 22 years too. The chairs wobble most, he says. ”Dainty feet, like all period furniture.“
During the major renovation in the 1990s, Laurin owner Franz Staffler decided to keep everything until something better could be found. So his cabinetmakers repaired all the windows and shutters, restored the furniture and repainted the old doors. ”We even made our own scrapers for the wood profiles,“ recalls Dieter Schrott. Often, he and his father work from a simple, handwritten note. When architect Boris Podrecca designed the new furniture, he often supplied only sketches. ”We built the prototypes from that.“
During the major renovation in the 1990s, Laurin owner Franz Staffler decided to keep everything until something better could be found. So his cabinetmakers repaired all the windows and shutters, restored the furniture and repainted the old doors. ”We even made our own scrapers for the wood profiles,“ recalls Dieter Schrott. Often, he and his father work from a simple, handwritten note. When architect Boris Podrecca designed the new furniture, he often supplied only sketches. ”We built the prototypes from that.“
A stitch in time
Herbert Schrott has also seen his share of photographs. The old boss, Max Staffler, was particularly fond of pointing out something he wanted on a picture. ”And then I’d have a go and build it.“ Today, Laurin chef Manuel Astuto brings photographs to the cabinetmakers too, knowing the Schrotts will always come up with a solution. ”Nothing is impossible,” says Herbert Schrott, “we just experiment until we find a way.”
Anything else would be like letting down his own family. Herbert Schrott was just 14 when he came to the Stafflers as an apprentice. He still has his first payslip, he says proudly. And the Bianchi racing bike he bought with the first money he saved. Second-hand, naturally.
Anything else would be like letting down his own family. Herbert Schrott was just 14 when he came to the Stafflers as an apprentice. He still has his first payslip, he says proudly. And the Bianchi racing bike he bought with the first money he saved. Second-hand, naturally.
Planning for generations
Herbert Schrott believes things should last for at least a generation. In a hotel this big, that kind of forward planning requires foresight bordering on the visionary. ”It takes time to settle in to an old house like the Laurin. Two or three years aren’t enough. You have to know every nook and cranny if you want to make the right decisions.”
In the Mirror Room, it’s obvious what needs to be done. In the old days, caretakers would scrub floors thoroughly with steel swarf and re-wax them, says Herbert Schrott. But today the repairs always show. Mr Schrott grimaces at the very thought. He wants everything to be just so. “Old things should look like new – or even better.”
Herbert Schrott straightens his cap and strides off to the lift. Made in 1910.
In the Mirror Room, it’s obvious what needs to be done. In the old days, caretakers would scrub floors thoroughly with steel swarf and re-wax them, says Herbert Schrott. But today the repairs always show. Mr Schrott grimaces at the very thought. He wants everything to be just so. “Old things should look like new – or even better.”
Herbert Schrott straightens his cap and strides off to the lift. Made in 1910.