Café Bar ODEON, Zurich, Switzerland

Named after its original owner Julius Uster on the corner of today’s Limmatquai and Rämistrasse, the Usterhof is a multi-storey building with a tuff stone façade. The original furniture in the style of a traditional Viennese coffee house that matched the Art Nouveau ambience of the premises was sold in 1972 after the business closed. A petition was successful in securing the café’s reopening the very same year in a smaller space, however, and the business was continued by gastro-entrepreneur Fred Tschanz. 

Girsberger Remanufacturing was commissioned to renovate the subsequent replicas of the original furniture as they approached the end of their useful life. The seating furniture was refurbished, the wood sanded and revarnished. With the padding of the seat and bench upholstery having perished, the upholstery was completely renewed and cutting patterns were developed for the upholstery fabrics.  Experts from Girsberger’s solid wood and upholstery production worked hand in hand on this project. The marble tabletops are not original, but are based on those from the 1950s. The marble was already brittle and could not be reused, and was replaced with new pieces with a very similar grain. The solid mahogany counter with brass handrail and footrest was professionally cleaned without affecting the patina.

All of this work was carried out in various different stages, meaning that this historical location was able to continue to operate with its existing furniture. The orange velour upholstery fabric might have taken some getting used to at first, but is based on the historical design before the red leather was introduced at a later date, and now helps to create a comfortable and warm environment.