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.
Pepito art deco armchair by Jindřich Halabala
By Jindřich Halabala, Up Závody
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Pepito art deco armchair by Jindřich Halabala. Professionally stained and repolished.
Beech, Bentwood
C-shaped lounge chair by J.Halabala
By Jindřich Halabala, Up Závody
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
C-shaped lounge chair by J.Halabala. Professionally stained and repolished.
Fabric, Beech, Bentwood
Art Deco / Early Modernist armchair from the 1930s
By Up Závody, Thonet-Mundus
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
A highly beautiful and authentic Art Deco / Early Modernist armchair from the 1930s, attributed to the renowned Czechoslovak manufacturers UP Závody or Thonet Mundus. The armchair fe...
Fabric, Beech, Bentwood
Adjustable Armchair by Jan Vanek for Krásná Jizba 1940s
By Jan Vanek
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Adjustable armchair by Jan Vanek for Krásná Jizba 1940s. Professionally stained and repolished.
Fabric, Wood
Functionalist bentwood lounge chair no.668 Thonet Debrecen
By Thonet-Mundus
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Functionalist bentwood lounge chair by no.668 Thonet Debrecen in very good original condition.
Rattan, Bentwood
Vinage Office Chair by Antonín Šuman for Ton Bystřice Pod Hostýnem
By Antonín Šuman, Ton N.P. Bystřice pod Hostýnem
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Large vintage office chair designed by Antonín Šuman for TON, after professional renovation.
Fabric, Beech
Art Deco Lounge Chair by Jindrich Halabala
By Jindřich Halabala
Located in Vienna, AT
Beech bentwood frame upholstered seat and back rest. Designed in 1930s by Jindrich Halabala. Excelent restored, another upholstery on request possible. Set of two.
Beech, Bentwood
Restored Art Deco Armchair, by J. Halabala for UP Závody, H-269, Czech, 1930s
By Jindřich Halabala, Up Závody
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Product number: H-269 This armchair is an absolute icon of Central European interwar design and one of the most sought-after seating models from the Art Deco / early modernist era i...
Fabric, Beech, Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer
Restored Art Deco Armchair, by J. Halabala for UP Zavody, Beech, Czech, 1930s
By Up Závody, Jindřich Halabala
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Product number: H-269 This armchair is another gorgeous exemplar of the absolute icon and undisputedly most famous and highly sought-after design by the legendary designer Jindřich ...
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Beech, Lacquer
Restored 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 armchair is an icon of interwar Czechoslovak design from the 1930s. Conceived by the designer Jindřich Halabala, this design sits on the borderline of Art Deco and emerging func...
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Beech, Lacquer
Restored Art Deco H-269 Armchair, by J. Halabala for UP Závody, Czech, 1930s
By Up Závody, Jindřich Halabala
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Product number: H-269 This armchair is one of the most celebrated icons of Czechoslovak and international furniture history. This is the legendary model H-269, designed in the 1930s...
Fabric, Beech, Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer
H-269 Halabala Armchair By Jindřich Halabala For Up Závody, Czechoslovakia, 1920
By Jindřich Halabala, Up Závody
Located in Zohor, SK
Iconic armchair designed by Jindrich Halabala for UP Zavody, Czechoslovakia in 1920s. The chair is H-269 model. This model has a very dynamic and abundant appearance. Beautifully cur...
Velvet, Oak
