Lobmeyr

Exquisite Lobmeyr glass can be bought all over the globe, but it’s worth visiting the Vienna headquarters on the Kärntnerstrasse, in a beautiful Art Nouveau building that has been meticulously restored. In the 19th century, Lobmeyr functioned as the official glassmaker for the imperial court (the royal family traveled with its own crystal, china and silver), and even today the business is family owned. The two-story boutique stocks most of the Lobmeyr lines, including Josef Hoffmann’s matte glasses with black bronzite details, which were designed at the height of the Art Nouveau era. Mixed in are exquisite porcelain collections, including Nymphenburg, Herend and locally made Augarten.

Indagare Tip: Upstairs is a small glass museum, where some pieces date to the 1830s. Until I visited the store, I was under the impression that the beautiful chandeliers at the Metropolitan Opera in New York were made by Swarovski, when in fact they were created by Lobmeyr using Swarovski crystals (a gift from the Austrian government in gratitude for the U.S.’s assistance in rebuilding the Vienna State Opera after World War II).