Bends ahead: TON

There was lard. In different forms.

Dried, salty pieces of pork that exquisitely complemented the toothy, homemade plum schnapps I was offered. And then a spreadable, seasoned variety, slathered on artisan bread. I shouldn’t have been surprised. This was, after all, an invitation to visit long-established Czech furniture manufacturer TON, whose brand – like the lard – oozes authenticity. My hosts, displaying hospitality in spades, were determined that I not only gather valuable, first-hand insights into their business, but also enjoy a genuine experience.

It may not trip off the tongue so easily, but Bystřice pod Hostýnem, in the forest-filled Moravian part of the Czech Republic, is a town that plays a significant role in the development of modern furniture design. For it was here, given its abundance of wood, that 19th-century, German-Austrian design pioneer Michael Thonet – he of the bentwood furniture – elected to build one of his first factories to explore his innovative steam-bending technology.

Over 150 years later, and a workforce of more than 800, including skilled craftspeople and technical specialists, are still producing classic designs like the Chair 14 and Chair 30 (the latter a favourite of Le Corbusier) alongside game-changing, contemporary collections such as Split (Arik Levy) and Merano (Alex Gufler). Exported to over 60 countries internationally for specification in an array of contract settings, as well as for use in private homes, TON’s award-winning products wear their heart on their sleeve – the company’s passion for wood is clearly legible in the formal expression and haptic quality of every piece. You know the business is doing something right if Scandinavia, a region known for the quality of its furniture production, is one of its fastest growing markets.

‘The essence of TON is our rich experience of working with wood,’ explains marketing chief Jan Juza. ‘Our heritage is our intimate knowledge of the material, which has been passed down through generations. It’s about the people. We’re not just about marketing and business. There’s still a heart behind the products.’ An extremely low staff turnover and an eagerness on the part of factory-floor workers – many of whom have been with TON for several decades – to appear in the company’s advertising campaigns testify to this.

Having been treated first to a spot of architectural tourism, courtesy of Juza, at the nearby industrial city of Zlin – which was built for the most part by the Bata company in the 1920s and 30s and serves as a prime example of modernist city-planning – we arrived at the TON plant in Bystřice pod Hostýnem with production in full swing. ‘It looks like a 14 day,’ joked Juza, referring to the classic bentwood bistro chair design, which has sold in hundreds of millions since its launch in 1859 and whose iconic silhouette forms part of the company’s logo.

We watched as the distinctive, graceful curve of the iconic chair’s back was created by expert craftsmen, who, in pairs, removed straight-as-a-die, beechwood slats from the high-density-steaming oven, and effortlessly bent them by hand with the use of decades-old clamps and moulds into the desired form. The only thing is, dear reader: it’s not effortless. As your trusty correspondent discovered when he tried his hand at a spot of steam-bending – and much to the amusement of a group of visiting students.

For it requires, I learnt, an almost impossible combination of force and sensitivity, knowing where and how to apply pressure. In short, you must be a fluent reader of the material, knowing how to feel it and respond to it. ‘It’s about a dialogue with the wood, a kind of respect,’ says Juza. ‘Sometimes the wood doesn’t want to speak back and occasionally it breaks. It’s a natural, living thing.’

A single piece of furniture at the TON factory passes through, on average, 25 different pairs of hands, each craftsperson specialising in a different skill – from milling and bending to lacquering and upholstering. I watched with fascination as one worker meticulously and repeatedly shaved and sanded the cane seat of a bentwood bar stool by hand. It’s a labour-intensive business, to say the least.

But, with the products specified globally for a wide range of high-profile contract projects, it has to be. Quality is paramount. Global coffee chain Starbucks recently ordered over 30,000 chairs from the Czech manufacturer, something that might have provided somewhat of a logistical headache for other producers, but not for TON. Such is the scale and organisation of their plant that it was business as usual. Juza again: ‘Architects want their suppliers to be reliable. They want to get the products into their project and move on. We’re there to minimise problems for them with our furniture. We can deliver the quality they need when they want it.’

The commitment to quality extends beyond the point of sale, however. Later, while visiting TON’s on-campus showroom, housed in the neo-classical Thonet Villa that was completed in 1873 as a private residence for the Thonet family, a customer came through the doors carrying an old Dondolo rocking chair – a TON classic – whose cane seat had ripped. Discussions about how best to repair it ensued. When you buy TON, it’s a long-term relationship.

Our final stop involved the procurement of a special key before heading across a number of courtyards and into one of the older factory buildings. After climbing several sets of stairs, we reached the ‘secret room’, as Juza calls it. Here is where visitors are given a private audience, so to speak, with newly developed products, prior to their official launch. Through the door and I encountered a collection that’s somewhat of a new departure for TON. Created by Italian-born, Vienna-based designer Alex Gufler and to be exhibited for the first time at next month’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, the new Alba chair and armchair feature full upholstery, the only visible wood element being their legs.

Internally, they feature a solid wood construction of course, married with an ultra-comfortable seat base made of pocket springs and PUR foam. Externally, upholstery comes in the form of premium-grade Elmo leather or super-tactile Merino wool. Formally, Alba’s back and sides/arms are comprised of one, elegantly flowing continuous element, which, in turn is articulated separately from the seat. Whether it’s the chair or the more generous lounge version, this is a piece that successfully draws together function, comfort and aesthetics, looking good, as it does, from any angle.

A new addition to Gufler’s popular Merano collection for TON in the form of a lounge-armchair variant was also on show in the speakeasy room, alongside a new coat-stand designed by Lubo Majer and another Gufler design – the Lasa table, whose angled legs and plywood veneered top make clear reference to the Merano chair. The private view underscored the fact that, when it comes to TON, whatever the product is, there’s a real clarity and honesty to it – be it in how the materials have been worked or how the piece communicates with its users. Lard optional.

© Architonic