Armchair by Jan Smidek

Jaroslav Smidek (1923-2005 Czechoslovakia) is a well-known 20th century Czech furniture designer. He was a contemporary of other great Czech designers such as Jan Vanek and Jindrich Halabala and grew up as the son of a furniture dealer and learned the trade from his father.

TON is the Czech heir to the estate of Michael Thonet (Austria) and known for his bentwood constructions, who founded a furniture factory in Bystřice pod Hostýnem in 1861 because of the abundant beech forests in Czechoslovakia, which was then part of the Habsburg Empire. In 1953, the factory was nationalized by the communist Czechoslovak government and the company was renamed TON, an acronym for “Továrna ohýbaného nábytku” (in Czech, “Factory for Bentwood Furniture”).

The furniture from furniture manufacturer TON is characterized by clean lines, curved wood and small decorations with an emphasis on functionalist principles. The brand still produces classic and contemporary furniture designs to this day.