Although Am Hof 8 is for paying members only, in return you’ll be greeted by stunning design and impeccable service.
England saw the opening of the country’s first gentlemen’s club some three hundred years ago, while in the US these members-only commercial establishments offering a complex range of services, swept the country in the 20th century. In our region, the tradition has yet to take root, but the steady expansion of the luxury sector has brought with it the first private club in Austria, Am Hof 8—which, unlike its English forebears, welcomes people of all genders and backgrounds.
The venue opened last September in a beautiful Renaissance-style mansion in the historic center of Vienna. The building, known as the Kattus Haus, was built in 1508 and has been owned by the Kattus family for over three centuries. Am Hof Square is also home to other iconic landmarks such as the palace where Mozart gave his first public concert and a 14th-century church. Johannes Kattus opened his famous delicatessen at number eight in 1857, selling wine, champagne, coffee, tea, caviar, tropical fruits, and other goods that were rare at the time. Although the shop has long since closed, Johannes’s name is still inscribed on the façade. But the legacy of decadence has been carried on by his descendants, one of whom is now the CEO of the Kattus Group—and once the idea of a private club had been sparked in his mind, he had no second thoughts about where to open it, so they embarked on an extensive renovation of the Kattus House. Of course, details of near-archaeological significance were carefully preserved, as the house incorporates the remains of the former castle walls and parts of a Roman wall. It took a total of three years to complete the renovation.
The primary aim of Am Hof 8 is for its guests to get to know each other, make important contacts, exchange ideas and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. To this end, guests can enjoy the restaurant, bar, meeting rooms, and shared office, as well as five hotel rooms, a spectacular rooftop terrace, and a basement nightclub. The stunning interiors are the work of London-based Austrian-born Theresa Obermoser, who has combined a cosmopolitan ambiance with the site’s rich historical heritage. She used soft, plush velvets, bright colors, and exotic patterns to create an atmosphere that is both luxurious and warm. While the goal was to evoke the timeless sophistication typical of Vienna—something the Viennese are quite used to—Theresa wanted to combine this with a sense of novelty, so that locals would be blown away upon entering the club, but foreign guests would still have a distinctly Viennese experience. To achieve this, much of the furniture was custom-made for the club, and the walls are adorned with a periodically changing collection of paintings curated by Herwig Kempinger, former director of the Vienna Secession.
Source: Yatzer
Photos: Vigo Jansons
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