A striking set of four bentwood armchairs designed by Antonín Šuman and produced by TON in former Czechoslovakia in 1988.

Finished in warm cream with their original red-pink upholstered seats, the chairs combine the long tradition of Thonet bentwood furniture with Šuman’s thoughtful approach to modern Czechoslovak design. Their sculptural curved backs and armrests give the set an instantly recognisable silhouette, while the generous proportions make them equally suitable as dining or occasional chairs.

About the Piece

These chairs belong to a fascinating chapter in the history of Czechoslovak bentwood furniture.

Their origins can be traced to the bentwood forms developed by Gebrüder Thonet during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Following the post-war reorganisation of the Czechoslovak furniture industry, the former Thonet factories became part of TON, which continued the remarkable bentwood tradition while developing new designs and adaptations for contemporary interiors.

Antonín Šuman (1924–1998) played an important role in this evolution. He joined Thonet in 1949, which became TON in 1953, and went on to become one of the company’s leading furniture designers. Rather than rejecting the company's historic bentwood vocabulary, Šuman frequently revisited and refined established forms, adapting them for a new generation.

This model is one such development. Based on an earlier Thonet bentwood armchair, Šuman subtly adjusted the form of the armrests, giving the familiar design a cleaner, more contemporary character while preserving the flowing bentwood construction that made the original so successful.

The four chairs offered here were manufactured by TON in 1988, demonstrating the extraordinary longevity of both the bentwood tradition and Šuman's adaptation of it.

Their cream-painted beech frames are paired with original upholstered seats in a wonderfully characteristic muted red-pink fabric. The contrast gives the chairs a distinctly late-Czechoslovak appearance while allowing the elegant curves of the wooden structure to remain the defining feature.

Details

Designer: Antonín Šuman (1924–1998)
Manufacturer: TON
Period: 1988
Origin: Czechoslovakia
Style: Czechoslovak Modern / Bentwood
Materials: Painted beech, fabric
Colour: Cream with red-pink upholstery
Quantity: Set of four chairs

Dimensions:
Width: 55 cm
Depth: 55 cm
Height: 76 cm
Seat height: 46 cm

Condition & Restoration

The chairs are in very good vintage condition and retain their original cream-painted finish and red-pink upholstered seats.

The wooden frames show signs of age and previous use, including light scratches, marks and areas where the painted finish has worn or chipped. We have deliberately retained these traces of use as part of the chairs' original character rather than over-restoring them.

The original upholstery has been carefully cleaned and remains in good usable condition, with light age-related wear but no significant visible damage.

All four chairs have been carefully checked, cleaned and prepared for use in our Brno workshop.

Please refer to the photographs for a detailed record of their condition.

Why We Like Them

There is something particularly appealing about furniture that carries its history visibly, and these chairs span an unusually long design story.

Their flowing bentwood construction has its roots in the extraordinary furniture-making innovations of Thonet, yet the form was reconsidered by Antonín Šuman for a later Czechoslovak generation. Produced by TON in 1988, these examples represent another stage in that continuing evolution.

We particularly like the contrast between the elegant curves of the cream-painted frames and the original muted red-pink upholstery. Together they give the chairs a strong period character without making them difficult to place in a contemporary interior.

They are also wonderfully versatile. Their armrests and generous proportions give them more presence than conventional dining chairs, allowing the set to work equally well around a dining table, as occasional seating or individually throughout an interior.

Above all, they demonstrate one of the qualities we find most interesting in Czechoslovak furniture: the ability to respect a remarkable design tradition without simply standing still.

You can discover more about Antonín Šuman, his career and his work for TON on our Designers page.

Delivery & Returns

The set will be carefully packed and shipped from our studio in Brno, Czech Republic.

EU shipping: €160, confirmed at checkout.

We also ship worldwide using trusted international couriers. Please contact us for a tailored shipping quote outside the EU.

EU customers have a 14-day right of withdrawal. Please see our Terms & Conditions for full details.

If you'd like to check anything before ordering — from condition and dimensions to delivery — Martin and Amy are always happy to help throughout the process, and also after your furniture has arrived.