TON

In 1861, a bent furniture plant was opened in Bystice pod Hostýnem and today it is among the oldest in the world. It was no coincidence that its founder Michael Thonet, whose name the plant bore, chose this place. Surrounded by beech forests offering enough material for the manufacturing process, Byst?ice pod Hostýnem also saved on transportation and labour costs thanks to its location. Very unusual industrial labour organisation system, where the workers were specialised in only one task, and also use of  unique technologies were other factors that helped the chairs from Byst?ice compete at a reasonable price and expand all over the world.
In return, the Thonet family took care of their employees. They set up vocational schools for wood processing, kindergartens, a band in Byst?ice pod Hostýnem and supported the construction of a railway, built homes for workers and even opened a casino.
We manually bend our furniture in the same workshops where this technology has been in use since 1861. However, we moved the features of this unique technique further more and mix them with contemporary designers’ thoughts. Our tables and chairs become a connection of quality, innovative shapes and a legacy to the place that has learned to understand the wood for generations.
After the First World War, which left a heavy toll on the economic situation, the plant merged in 1924 with the Kohn-Mundus joint stock company and changed its name to THONET-MUNDUS. This new corporation operated until 1940. Until the end of the Second World War it was managed by a caretaker appointed by the Reich Protector. Following a decree of the Ministry of Industry from  March 7, 1946, THONET became a national enterprise and in 1953 it was renamed as TON (the abbreviation standing for Továrna Ohýbaného Nábytku – bent furniture factory). After the transformation of the political situation in the Czech Republic in 1989, the organisational structure was changed and the company became a state enterprise. Since 1994, TON has been a joint stock company.