Jaroslav Šmídek was born in the family of an upholsterer and a furniture merchant.
In 1950s he graduated in the field of architecture and building construction at the Vysoké učení technické v Brně – VUT (Technical University in Brno – BUT) and then for several years he ran the wood and natural materials and glass workshop at the Ústředí lidové umělecké výroby – ÚLUV (Center for Folk Art Production).
In the years 1955–1966, he worked as a designer for the national enterprise Development of the Vývoj nábytkářského průmyslu in Brno – VNP (Furniture Industry Development, later the Furniture Research and Development Institute (VVÚN), where most of his commercially successful and award-winning models came from.
The need for functional and affordable seating furniture for the shrinking spaces of mass housing construction resulted in an elegantly designed type series of armchairs that combined both contemporary consumer needs and mass production requirements.
This timeless series of armchairs, which are currently a highly sought-after piece of furniture, were originally created for the TON seating furniture competition more than sixty years ago, i.e. already at the end of 1957. The designs gradually evolved.
The armchairs made up of individual parts were easy to assemble and light thanks to the foam latex upholstery. The different processing of the armrests ensured visual variability and ensured a high potential for other furniture designs.
