Thanks to design lovers’ enthusiasm for Art Deco and mid-century modern furniture, and the increasingly competitive market for pieces by more famous creators, 20th-century Czech designers are making their way back onto the international stage. Foremost among these talents is Jindřich Halabala.
Halabala was one of the leading designers of a particularly rich period in Czech furniture history, when pieces were defined by Bauhaus functionalism as well as Art Deco influences. He was a cabinetmaker’s son whose training was almost wholly focused on woodwork, first at a state-run vocational school for woodworking in Valašské Meziříčí and later at UP Závody in Brno, where he ultimately became chief designer.
Halabala's alluring bentwood H chairs, such as the H269 and H237, and stylized ottomans have become classics, while his 1930s and 1940s sofas, tables and storage cabinets, with their sweeping curves, stylized geometry and dark, richly grained wood, embody the best of Art Deco furniture design, a style that was brought to worldwide attention at an exhibition in Paris in 1925.
Halabala's work, which was manufactured by the likes of Thonet and UP Závody, is seen by some as the segue between early 1900s Czech Cubism and the modern style that dominated the mid-century years.
Find a collection of vintage Jindřich Halabala furniture today on 1stDibs.
Established in 2006, Morentz has a team of approximately 55 restorers, upholsterers, interior advisers and art historians, making it a gallery, workshop and upholstery studio, all in one. Every day, a carefully selected array of 20th-century furniture arrives from all over the world at the firm’s warehouse, where the team thoroughly examines each piece to determine what, if any, work needs to be done. Whether that means new upholstery or a complete restoration, Morentz's aim is always to honor the designer’s intention while fulfilling the wishes of the client. The team is up to any challenge, from restoring a single piece to its original glory to furnishing a large-scale hotel project.
1950s Lounge Chair in Green and Beige Floral Upholstery
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Lounge chair, fabric, stained beech, Czech Republic, 1950s. This design is constructed in the shape of a shell frame composed of diverging lines that brings a more open and inviting...
Fabric, Beech
Pair of Art Deco Lounge Chairs in Green Floral Fabric and Walnut Wood
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Pair of lounge chairs, floral green fabric, walnut, Europe 1940s Pair of elegant Art Deco lounge chairs, crafted in Europe in the 1940s. The chairs feature gently curved silhouette...
Fabric, Walnut
Asymmetrical Art Deco Lounge Chair in Wood and Green Fabric
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Lounge chair, wood and fabric, Europe, 1930s A remarkable European lounge chair from the 1930s, distinguished by its sculptural asymmetrical silhouette and soft organic curves. The ...
Fabric
1950s Pair of Lounge Chairs in Wood and Green Fabric
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Pair of lounge chairs, beech, fabric, Europe, 1950s This elegant pair of European lounge chairs from the 1950s beautifully reflects the refined comfort of mid-century design. Their ...
Fabric, Beech
Art Deco Lounge Chair in Floral Fabric and Wood
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Lounge chair, fabric, beech, pine, Europe, 1940s A lounge chair from the 1940s, distinguished by its elegantly shaped high back and softly curved armrests. Upholstered in a finely p...
Fabric, Beech, Pine
Italian Dynamic Lounge Chair in Olive Green Upholstery
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Lounge chair, birch, lacquered wood, fabric, Italy, 1960s. Well-shaped Italian lounge chair in an olive green upholstery. The lower part of the legs are in a sharp V shape and execu...
Fabric, Wood, Beech, Lacquer
Italian Armchair in Green Walnut in 1940 Silk Flowers Orient Turns Into a Bed
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Italian Armchair in Green Walnut in 1940 Silk Flowers Orient Turns Into a Bed. Detail of Armchairs from around 1940, made of walnut, turns into a single bed, very particular and stu...
Silk, Velvet, Walnut
French Floral Armchair with Green Lacquered Frame, 1940s - 2 Available
Located in Chicago, IL
A French armchair from the 1940s, its wooden frame finished in deep green lacquer. The angled backrest and generous seat are upholstered in a vivid floral fabric, where oversized blo...
Upholstery, Wood
1930s, Scandinavian design, armchair in green furniture fabric, ash wood.
Located in Tarm, 82
1930s, Scandinavian design. Armchair in green furniture fabric. Ash wood, brass springs in the seat. Original very good condition: no smells and no st...
Fabric, Ash
Wolfgang Hoffmann Custom Green and Black Springer Chair for Howell
By Howell, Wolfgang Hoffmann
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Custom Green and black Wolfgang Hoffmann Art Deco springer lounge chair for Howell furniture, these chairs consist of a flat iron chrome frame that seamlessly forms to shape the legs...
Steel
Original Art Deco Armchair, by J. Halabala for UP Zavody, Beech, Czech, 1930s
By Jindřich Halabala, Up Závody
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This elegant Art Deco armchair comes from Czechoslovakia from the first half of the 20th century. It is the work of Jindřich Halabala and was produced in UP Zavody. The armchair is i...
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Beech, Lacquer
Melchiorre Bega attr., Dark Green Fabric, Wood, Lounge Chair, Italy, 1950s
By Melchiorre Bega
Located in Stamford, CT
Melchiorre Bega Attribution, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Green Fabric, Wood, Lounge Chair, Italy, 1950s A dark green fabric and stained wood wingback lounge chair designed and produ...
Fabric, Wood
Gunnel Nyman was known as a glass artist, but this piece is a striking example of her early training in furniture design.
With its grid-like doors and wavy trim, the 1940s design feels as fresh as ever.
