Desk, sofa, armchair – the Manns' furniture

The desk – a place of world literature

Study, Poschingerstraße 1, Munich, 1915

A heavy wooden table, precisely positioned in the centre of the room. No unnecessary frills, but clear: this is where work was done – with Hanseatic discipline.

Pacific Palisades, USA, 1942–1952

A desk in exile – overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Here Mann wrote Doctor Faustus, pondered democracy and life in exile – and wondered whether American chairs offered the same back support as those in Munich.

The sofa – a stage for the exchange of ideas

Study, Kilchberg, Switzerland, ca. 1956

Dark, deep, inviting – the sofa in Kilchberg was more than just a place to relax. It was a space for thinking, a forum for debate, and occasionally also a place of retreat. Anyone who sat down on it risked getting caught up in a conversation about Nietzsche.

Living room, Pacific Palisades, 1940s

Bright, open in the American style, with a view of the greenery outside – the sofa there was probably witness to many conversations with visitors such as Adorno, Brecht and Alma Mahler. Was there laughter? Perhaps. More likely: arguments about Thomas Mann's role as the conscience of Europe in exile.

The armchair – a chair for thinking and a place of retreat

Garden chair, 1907

This garden chair exudes a slightly morbid charm. Thomas Mann, still young, sits in it with the posture of a man already engaged in an inner monologue.

Armchair, Pacific Palisades, 1941

Here we encounter the armchair as a symbol: softly upholstered, but with an upright posture. A piece of furniture for someone who always knew that thinking also requires posture – both physical and mental.

Living room Pacific Palisades

Thomas Mann's furniture doesn't just tell stories – it is stories.
It bears traces of ash, ink, conversations and thoughts. With its quiet presence, it accompanies the author through eras, rooms and ideologies. And perhaps, just perhaps, it has more to say about German literary history than many of his contemporaries.