The mid-century vintage armchairs are characterized by their ergonomics and comfort – simple in design, but big in effect!
Since we only offer (with a few exceptions) completely restored furniture – new foam and upholstery, renewed spring core, wood sanded and varnished – you are purchasing a vintage armchair almost as new, but with the charm of the patina of time that only years can give a piece of furniture.
A vintage armchair is not only an aesthetic pleasure, but also an excellent investment – although the price can fluctuate depending on current trends, it never goes out of fashion, so in the long term this investment is both useful and profitable.
With mid-century furniture that has already existed for 50 to 100 years, you could assume that an armchair that has already lasted fifty or a hundred years will also last another fifty or a hundred – so such a piece of furniture is a long-term purchase.
The durability of high-quality mid-century furniture is ensured by both design and production.
Therefore, when choosing mid-century furniture, you should pay attention to quality.
Especially with armchairs and sofas – of the better quality – screws (or their covers) that hold the furniture together are rarely visible.
With furniture with wooden frames such as shelves or seating, it is important to take a close look at the places where the wooden parts are connected: clean, precisely fitting and seamless transitions indicate good workmanship.
Production from solid wood is generally an indicator of quality, but premium pieces can also be veneered, especially when it comes to rosewood or walnut.
There are also features that are specific to a particular producer, e.g. Thonet markings.
We check all of this before the restoration begins – so we take these laborious tasks off your hands.
Maintaining mid-century furniture is not labor-intensive.
Furniture should only be polished every seven to ten years, and then only sparingly.
Fabrics should be dry-cleaned.
Bentwood furniture represents a special segment of vintage furniture.
The bending process developed and patented by Michael Thonet was able to fundamentally change the way furniture was made.
This process works as follows: the wooden part is first turned into shape and cooked in a steam boiler using steam. A metal band is attached to the softened workpiece – and this is crucial. The band absorbs the tensile forces acting on the wood during bending.
Another advantage of bentwood furniture is that, although it is made of solid material, it is comparatively light and yet stable.
The main designers of bentwood furniture were:
Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976), Finland
Josef Frank (1885 – 1967), Austria, Sweden
Jindřich Halabala (1903-1978), Czechoslovakia
Fritz Hansen (1847–1902), Denmark
Josef Hoffmann (1870 – 1956), Austria
Arne Jacobsen (1902 – 1971), Denmark
Finn Juhl (1912 – 1989), Denmark
Verner Panton (1926 – 1998), Denmark
Franz Singer (1886 – 1954), Austria
Michael Thonet and Sons, Marcel Kammerer for Thonet, Germany
Jan Vaněk (1881 – 1962), Czechoslovakia
Hans Wegner (1914-2007), Denmark
The main producers are/were:
Artek, Finland
Fritz Hansen, Denmark
J. & J. Kohn, Austria, 1849 – 1914
Thonet, Germany
TON, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic
UP závody (Spojené uměleckoprůmyslové závody v Brně), Czechoslovakia, 1921 – 1948
The models of special interest from the period 1930-1970 were:
Bentwood armchair A811 by Gebr. Thonet
Designer: Josef Hoffmann 1930s
Armchair H-269 by UP závody
Designer: Jindřich Halabala
Armchair Tank 400 by Artek
Designer: Alvar Aalto in 1936 for an exhibition at the Milan Triennale
Isokon Long Chair by Isokon Furniture Company, London
Designer: Marcel Breuer 1930s
Armchair A63F by Thonet-Mundus
Designer: Josef Frank 1930
Morris type reclining armchair by Standard bytovó společnost (S.B.S.), Brno- Praha
Designer: Jan Vaněk 1929
Chieftain Chair by Niels Vodder, Kopenhagen, Denmark
Designer: Finn Juhl 1949
„The Chair“ JH501 by Hansen
Designer: Hans Wegner 1940s
