Bentwood Embassy Table & Four Chairs
Jan Bočan

Description:

A bentwood table and four chairs designed by Czech architect Jan Bočan for the Czechoslovak Embassy in Stockholm.

Designed in 1970 by Jan Bočan, Jan Šrámek, Zdenka Rothbauer and Jiří Náhlík, the Czechoslovak Embassy was conceived as a Gesamkunstwerk- a total work of art. 

The glass, concrete, metal and brick construction of the project was offset by richly coloured curved furniture designed by Bočan and his team. From conference chairs with bright purple upholstery stretched over curved walnut frames, to tables such as this in bright red or green stained wood; Bočan commissioned Michael Thonet's former factories in the Czech Republic- which operated during the 1970s as a state-owned enterprise under the name TON- to produce the sweeping curves of these sculptural designs using Thonet's classic bentwood technique. 

This set of red bentwood chairs and square-topped table are stained in a rich red, accentuating the open curvilinear design of squares and circles, as well as the bookmatched surface of the tabletop, with each quarter reflecting the Beech woodgrain. 

The curved cross-frame beneath the table allows the four chairs to be either seated opposite each other, or at intervals on each corner of the table. 

Specifications:

Designer: Jan Bočan
Maker: TON
Date of Design: 1968-70
Date of Manufacture: Before 1972
Materials: Stained Beech Wood and Caned Seats
Provenance: Czech Embassy Stockholm

Table Dimensions

Width: 125 cm
Depth: 125 cm
Height: 72 cm

Chair Dimensions:
Height: 80cm
Seat Height: 46cm 
Width: 55cm