Furniture design and interior architecture

Zell’s career history, an apprenticeship as a carpenter and studies in architecture, was regarded as the often desired fusion of art and craft in one person at the end of the 19th century. This was precisely Zell’s path and strength in advancing his career. He was 34 years old at the turn of the century, married and the father of three children. No buildings by him are known from this period.

Zell was still moving professionally between designs for decorative art objects and efforts to obtain contracts as an architect. Then as now, the arts and crafts encompassed the artisan, machine or industrial production of everyday objects with artistic pretensions. The idea and design usually come from external artists. Designing was Zell’s bread and butter to start with.

He was self-employed and ran his own "Zeichen-Bureau für Bau- und Möbelschreinerei" (Drafting firm for building and furniture carpentry). From 1895 he began working for the well-known Munich furniture factory Pössenbacher: "I came to Pössenbacher as a young architect from 1895-1900, where I worked on larger buildings, all kinds of interiors and I gained a lot of practical experience there." (Franz Zell 1936)

At the same time, Zell was already associated with Möbelfabrik Schoyerer in Cham. The designs for the Cham furniture factory, individual pieces of furniture and room ensembles are now archived in the Kreismuseum Walderbach (Waldbach District Museum), in the district of Cham.

With his success as an architect, Zell then began to design complete interiors for his clients. Even today, Zell’s signature can still be found in the field of interior design in country houses, at the wood carving school in Oberammergau and at the town hall in Memmingen.

Michaela Thomas