Our Brands | Thonet

As well as bentwood, the Thonet Australia collection includes locally manufactured tables and product from companies such as Tolix (France), Stolab (Sweden) and LK Hjelle (Norway).

Originally developed more for its functional strength than its aesthetic appeal, the industrial appearance of Tolix has slowly grown into a well-loved design classic.

Following the family tradition, Xavier Pauchard started out as a roofer-zinc worker and inherently understood the characteristics of sheet metal and zinc. It seemed a natural progression that he would become the first Frenchman to galvanise furniture. The Chaise A was the original Tolix prototype, meticulously created by hand with Pauchard hammering away at the sheet metal, curving it into the exact shape, and welding it together. The result is a compact, stackable chair of disarming simplicity that looks at home in both traditional and contemporary settings. The production process is so involved that no two chairs (or stools) are exactly the same.

Proud of this history, their driving force is to develop Stolab even further, maintaining its classic place in Swedish furniture design whilst always giving it contemporary relevance.

Stolab has been in love with the tactile warmth of wood since the company was founded over 100 years ago, maintaining an uncompromising conviction that solid wood is synonymous with quality and sustainability. The fact that design, manufacture and assembly all take place under the same roof —in the small coastal town of Smålandsstenar—not only allows Stolab to achieve the exacting requirements on quality, environmental responsibility and durability that characterise the Stolab brand, but it also means that everyone participates in and feels responsible for the entire process – from original idea to the delivered product.

LK Hjelle furniture makers focus on quality craftsmanship and material selection. Since it was founded in the early 1940s, the factory — huddling between precipitous mountains and narrow fiords — has been producing functional and beautiful furniture imbued with great passion. Designer Ingmar Relling’s award winning Siesta chairs are possibly the most comfortable chairs you will ever sit in. The laminated, form-pressed beech frame and strung canvas back enhance the chair’s clean lines, and are complimented by leather cushioning (fabric option available). Relling worked with furniture from the age of sixteen and went on to study at the National School of Arts and Crafts. After graduating, he soon opened his own practice in 1950. Initially he worked as an interior architect, fitting out schools, hotels and churches.