Organization: The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic
Cooperation: Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
It is the third time that the Czech Selection collection, presenting companies from the Czech Republic, has attended the Maison et Objet international show. Among the sixteen brands specializing in production of furniture, lighting, glass objects we can find companies established in the international market as well as young studios with fresh concepts. The companies have their seat throughout the Czech Republic, they use know-how of the regional craft and industrial background and cooperation with talented designers of all generations.
The oldest furniture-making companies include TON. The Merano armchair, designed by the Italian designer Alex Gufler was granted the Red Dot Design Award 011. The collection of chairs and armchairs was also granted numerous Czech awards for design thanks to its simplicity, ergonomic design and the quality of execution. The established furniture-making company MMINTERIÉR from Luhačovice presents the Fuga armchair, inspired by the Bach's music and designed by René Šulc, the key designer of the company. The chest-making company PROCESS CZ from Prague, internationally renowned thanks to its experimental furniture, presents the Princess dressing table. HELENA DAŘBUJÁNOVÁ, the architect from Hradec Králové, has recently drawn attention by her production of non-typical furniture for relaxation and personal experience. The presented Lola bower was granted many Czech awards. A.M.O.S. DESIGN from Brno that was granted the Design and Design International Award 2011 for furniture designed by the key company's designer Vladimír Ambroz prepared novelties from corian. MMCITÉ from Bílovice gained international respect in the area of municipal mobiliary, realizing its works in many European countries.
Three of the Czech companies represented at the show offer exclusive lights. The oldest one, ATEH from Brno, presents an innovated alternative of the Flower light according to the design by Filip Streit that received many awards, e.g. Good Design. Other lights, such as Wave and Lin, were designed by Miloš Zimula. LASVIT, the leading Czech manufacturer of luxury light constructions, glass installations and collections of lights that were granted many awards, realized lighting projects in private residences, hotels and at public places of big cities around the world. The prelude-like light UOVO made of manually blown glass was designed by Rony Plesl. BROKIS founded not very long ago specializes in progressive design collections of lamps according to designs of renowned designers Olgoj Chorchoj, Karel Volf, Lucie Koldová, Dan Yeffet, Daniel Gonzáles and Tomáš Varga and received many awards for them.
Glass-processing companies founded only recently win the Czech and the international market by the top quality of glass processing and inventive design. BOHEMIA MACHINE, the glass-making plant in Světlá nad Sázavou, specializing in cutting glass for drinking sets, presents collections of world-renowned designers František Vízner, Jiří Pelcl and the British designer Thomas Jenkins. SPACE CZ and its brand VERREUM offers unique technology of silvery glass and hand-processing. It presents new collections of drinking sets and vases designed by teachers of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design Jiří Pelc and Rony Plesl, and German designers of the young generation Michael Koenig and Sebastian Herkner. ACDT (Marienberg), specializing in blown and cut glass, presents a novelty from its catalogue, manually cut glass by Jan Falta with funny illustration. QUBUS DESIGN STUDIO with a brick-and-stone shop in the centre of Prague has prepared a new collection of lights, vases and interior accessories. The design by Jakub Berdych represents both a personal message and witty update of objects from the Czech vernacular environment. BOA DESIGN, specializing in fashion and interior projects, presents glass and Flame bags by the designers Petr Mikošek and Michaela Vrátníková. Small-batch collections of original shapes are specific for the quality of processing. The unique production of MONSTERRA is represented by the Flying Jungle hand-made glass hooks for growing indoor plants by the architect Petr Baletka who initiated design and education in the area of the current methods of growing plants in the interior. The collection of interior accessories by Beldafactory, the family company from the Northern Bohemia according to a design by Jiří Belda, made of copper and tombac indicates the company specialization in jewellery production.
The exhibition collection of Czech Selection presents unique objects, in which care for the top quality of material processing, traditional know-how particularly in glass processing, courage of the producers to experiment particularly in the field of furniture and lights as well as concepts of designers innovating the environment of life in the 21st century have their common place.
Iva Knobloch
Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
