Liane Zimbler

In 1922, their daughter Eva was born.

This was followed in the same year by a major contract for Bankhaus Ephrussi & Co. in 1090 Vienna. This extensive remodelling project (addition of a new floor, construction of a new teller hall and installation of a safe) kept her busy for two years and gave her the opportunity to make her mark in this field. In 1924, again for a distant relative, she designed a cottage-style residence: the Haus Wetzler at Silbergasse 2 in 1190 Vienna. (The building is no longer extant).

The growing number of commissions required a studio of her own. Liane Zimbler opened it in 1924 at Schleifmühlgasse 5, 1040 Vienna. Her private apartment was also located in this house. The combination of living and working in close proximity enabled Liane to devote herself to her commissions and also to look after her daughter. At the end of 1920 she opened another office in Prague, which was managed by the architect Annie Herrnheiser.

In addition to her building activities, she taught at an adult education center and was active in various associations, such as the Verband berufstätiger Frauen in Österreich (Association of Professional Women in Austria). She gave lectures and published countless articles in various professional journals in Austria and abroad.

She also participated in exhibitions and exhibition designs. For her private clients, all of them clients of the upper middle class, she worked closely with many artists and craftswomen of the Wiener Werkstätte: Maria Stauß-Likarz for wall and furniture painting, Hertha Bucher for stoves and ceramics, Anna Weil-Kuhn and Lilli Hahn for raffia work, Anny Schantroch for weaving, and Ninetta Wandruska-Steindl for lamps. Together they designed interiors and exhibitions under Zimbler’s direction.

At the beginning of the 1930s she took over the direction of several important exhibitions and at the same time participated in them with designs: Wie sieht die Frau (1930), Die schaffende Österreicherin, Werk und Bild in der Wiener Sezession and Die schöne Wand (1933).

Between 1930 and 1937, the Bund österreichischer Frauenvereine (Federation of Austrian Women’s Associations) organised guided tours of apartments under the motto ‘Modernes Wohnen’ (‘Modern Living’). Interested visitors could also view furnished apartments by Liane Zimbler.

During these tours, visitors also had the opportunity to admire apartments by Helene Roth, Leonie Pilewski or Christa Deuticke-Szabo. On February 21, 1938, Liane Zimbler passed her civil engineer exam. Shortly after she had to flee with her family from the National Socialists.

In September 1938 she set foot on American soil for the first time in New York, finally settling in Los Angeles. For a short time, she worked in a wrapping paper company, until in 1940 she found employment with the then well-known interior designer Anita Toor and was able to re-establish herself in her profession as an interior designer. In the same year, her husband Otto Zimbler died in a traffic accident. A year later, Anita Toor also died, and Liane Zimbler took over the management of the studio. She bought out the estate and ran the studio on her own. Her first major commission as owner of the new studio was a residence for the Viennese composer Ernst Toch in Santa Monica, in the early 1940s. Most of her commissions, however, were interior designs, in which she worked closely with the architects of the houses. In addition to private commissions, she participated in exhibitions, was involved in various clubs and taught students.

After only a few years she managed to build up a large clientele. From 1960, Liane’s daughter, Eva Hübscher-Zimbler, also worked in her mother’s studio after completing her studies. However, she had not studied architecture. Like her mother, she entered the profession as an autodidact.

Liane Zimbler was active up to an old age and died on 11 November 1987 at the age of 95.