Josef Hoffmann was born on Dec. 15, 1870 in Austria-Hungary. He served as an Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods. In 1887, Hoffmann began studying at the Higher State Crafts School. He later studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and graduated in 1895.

In 1897, Hoffmann founded the Vienna Secession with artists Gustav Klimt and Koloman Moser. Starting in 1899, he taught at the Kunstgewerbeschule, now referred to as the University of Applied Arts Vienna. He also designed installation spaces for various exhibitions and a house for Moser that was constructed in the early 1900s. Hoffman left the Secession in 1905 due to artistic differences. He established the Wiener Werksttte, which lasted until 1932. He was commissioned to build the Palais Stoclet in Brussels from 1905 to 1911 that was filled with murals in the dining room and four copper figures on its tower.

In addition, Hoffmann designed many designer chairs, including the "Sitzmaschine" Chair, a lamp and sets of glasses have reached the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. He also created various abstract designs that were used to develop functional structures and domestic products. Hoffmann died on May 7, 1956. Meanwhile, many of Hoffmann's domestic designs can still be found in production today.