This summer, our various showrooms are receiving the new colors of the Tolix A chair. A chair that has been making its mark on design since 1935.
More than 85 years later, the Tolix brand continues to ride the success of a timeless and iconic model, exhibited at the Centre Georges Pompidou, the MoMA in New York, and in the collections of the Vitra Design Museum. But do you know its story? A story that made the Tolix A chair a flagship of French industry during the interwar period, and a design reference today.
The success of the Tolix A chair is primarily due to the work of its founder, Xavier Pauchard, but he most certainly did not think, when designing the Tolix A chair in Autun, that he was going to invent one of the reference products of industrial and contemporary design. Because Xavier Pauchard was above all seeking to find a chemical process that could protect sheet metal from corrosion. A process he discovered and then industrialized.
In 1927, the Tolix brand was born, specializing in the design of metal furniture such as chairs, armchairs, tables, pedestal tables, and stools. And among these chairs was the Tolix A. A chair created in 1935 on the simple basis of workshop prototypes, numerous trials carried out to achieve a satisfactory final result. No deliberate artistic design. The Tolix A chair had to be efficient, practical, affordable, simple, and comfortable. It had to be a chair that could be easily stored to meet the criteria of institutions and cafés. And yet, it is a chair with a highly recognizable design today, which has undergone slight modifications since, particularly in the palmette on its backrest and the shape of the legs. But the original DNA is still present.
A model that quickly conquered the world due to its resistance to corrosion and fire, its ease of maintenance, and above all its ability to stack. A flagship of French industry, Xavier Pauchard succeeded in offering a chair accessible to the greatest number, thus equipping hospitals, offices, parks, terraces, the army, schools, and even the Normandie. But be aware, on the ocean liner, the Tolix A chairs were intended for sailors and onboard firefighters. The wealthiest passengers did not have the pleasure of testing them. The Tolix A chair enjoyed great popularity in the 1950s, particularly through brewers who enabled many cafés to equip themselves with them. The Tolix A chair then became the symbol of French terraces, thus entering the heritage. Later, in the 1990s, design enthusiasts like Terence Conran gave it a new image. The creator of Habitat even featured it in the catalog. From an industrial design piece, the Tolix A chair became an essential piece of contemporary design, particularly through the introduction of new colors. Since 2006, TOLIX has held the Living Heritage Company (EPV) label, a mark of recognition from the State that distinguishes the company for its artisanal and industrial excellence.
Jbonet is an official distributor of Tolix A chairs. Would you like information about the chairs? Our teams are at your disposal in our showrooms to advise you.
