Jaroslav Smidek grew up in the Czech Republic as the son of a Furniture Dealer and Upholsterer before training to become an Architect. Jaroslav turned to Industrial Design where he developed self assembly furniture greatly advancing Czech furniture production. Like Jindrich Halabala Jaroslav designed for Ton, Tovarna Ohybaneho Natbytku, the Czech heir to Michael Thonet and one of the worlds oldest factories of bentwood furniture.
The type 53 bentwood beech chair was one of his designs representing the Brussels style formed after the incredible success at the famous Expo 58, Brussels World Fair 1958. This design has an elegant Scandinavian, Eastern European aesthetic while being fairly compact in size.
I have a single chair fully restored from the bones upwards in a beautiful honey mustard velvet as seen above and a pair unrestored just waiting for you to make them into your bespoke armchairs. Just get in touch to discuss bringing your restoration ideas to life.
Summer arrived with an explosion of heat and after a busy start to year, which included a move to new premises, I am finally on holiday consuming my body weight in olives while reading a few interior magazines. Even when you are hundreds of miles away from work and in the perfect cottage garden you never really stop thinking about work when it’s a passion rather than a business. Time is spent snooping around a holiday rental looking at the décor and planning how you would decorate, then mooching in a variety of antiques shops. It certainly refreshes the brain and helps you look forwards. Back relaxing in the garden reading ‘Rise of the archives’ in Elle Decoration’s August issue I felt inspired and excited.
You may already know many big brand manufacturers are now offering iconic pieces of furniture from their back catalogues. The thought of what might be reproduced next is something I find very exciting. As people want authentic furniture, maybe, just maybe, we will start to move away from our throw-away society.
Poorly made furniture with a short life span and a sure-fire skip on the horizon, just seems like a total waste of effort and material. It’s an embarrassing legacy we will be leaving behind, and I don’t want to be associated with it or with the landfill it creates. We need to embrace the old and the new quality furniture worth spending our money on. I remember as a child saving all summer for a porcelain doll, our parents taught us to save for things we want, just as they saved up for their furniture and valued it.
Not wishing to sound all doom and gloom, how can I while eating olives in a Dorset cottage garden, but I am watching the upholstery recover business slowly dying off because of how we choose to furnish our homes. There are a lot less of that generation around that ‘bought well, owning well-made furniture worth recovering’, words my upholsterer David uses less these days. Today’s buyers, and this includes many people I know and maybe even you so please don’t be offended, aren’t purchasing from the old school manufacturers but from large showrooms offering sale prices all year round and 0% finance if required. Life is expensive and these offers can seem very tempting but by the time you’ve paid it off you may well need a new sofa and the cycle continues.Some people are lucky enough to inherit a sturdy old sofa or chairs and with a simple recover it’s life span is endless. This is where you get your money back ten fold because unless you totally abuse the furniture it will last long past anything that was ‘on sale’.
You’ve got to ask yourself why this furniture is ‘on sale’ and is this really economical in the long run, never mind the environmental impact. I haven’t myself been lucky enough to inherit a good suite, I also refuse to conform, and I have a second hand one, perfect while the kids are still at home.
My partner and I have however have been lucky enough to inherit some good solid Danish furniture. With a bit of love & elbow grease its been rejuvenated. The old drinks cabinet now has a new purpose in the dining room as the tea cabinet.
Going back to the article I read, it speaks of design classics being an investment that hold value because these pieces of furniture are enduring and won’t go out of fashion. Our eldest daughter commented that Great Grandmas furniture looks so different and on trend now it’s in our house.
This is true in fact of many pieces of furniture we have had through our workshop. Art deco style and Jindrich Halabala chairs to name but a few. I currently have several pairs of fantastic chairs in stock for bespoke restoration and with the amount of work we put in they will only ever need a simple recover in the future. These would be a sound investment that can be handed down through the family.
Mid-century and vintage fairs are popping up all over the country now with more demand more people are sourcing and restoring furniture and as a seller it is a joy to be a part of these fairs. I am proud to be supporting this move back to quality furniture and being able to restore customers sentimental furniture, whether it’s a simple victorian wooden kitchen chair or a pair of art deco armchairs, it is a very rewarding job for both David and I.While I finish off these olives I am thinking about my next project and what other exciting furniture will come my way this year. Watch this space, or social media or even why not come and meet me at The Vintage Home Show in Leeds on the 7th October. Alternatively, coffee, tea, conversation and a mooch are always available at my workshop and showroom if you are in Nottingham. Please get in touch it would be lovely to see you.
