Otto Blümel (1881 - 1973) was born in Augsburg, Germany and studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich. From 1907 to 1914, he was director of the design department at the United Workshops for Art in Craftsmanship in Munich, a pioneering force in the interior design and decoration of the early 20th century. It was during this period that he produced furniture designs that are still prized today like the designer's Nymphenburg coat rack (1908).