After four years, we returned to Designblok with a functionalist trump card – a reissue of the iconic T2407 armchair, which was chosen by Karel Prager in 1983 for the interior of the New Stage of the National Theatre. The limited-edition exact replicas created in collaboration with the original designer Viliam Chlebo earned us second place in the Best Furniture category of the Designblok 2022 Awards.
Nanovo’s presentation at Designblok 2022. Photo: Dita Havránková
The chosen seat of Karel Prager himself
When Karel Prager was designing the New Stage and looking for suitable items to furnish it, a chair designated the T2407 caught his eye, originally created by the Slovak designer Viliam Chlebo in 1979. Together Prager and Chlebo slightly modified the design of the existing product and had 250 units produced exclusively for the National Theatre. Only a few still survive today, and so we worked for two years to create a faithful reissue.
Replicas of the T2407 armchair in the New Stage of the National Theatre. Photo: Dita Havránková
The frame of the armchair is made from chrome tubing, and the seat and back were custom made with Italian leather in a Czech upholstery workshop. The highest quality craftsmanship was maintained in the chairs’ production so that they will serve as a worthy legacy to the designer’s work.
The entrance to Nanovo’s presentation at Designblok 2022. Photo: Dita Havránková
Centre stage again after 40 years
At Designblok, we presented the chairs in their natural environment – a theatre-themed installation entitled Nanovo: To the Stage!, which was created for us by students of the Academy of Arts, Architecture & Design in Prague from the Studio of Furniture and Interior Design and the Studio of Architecture. They took their inspiration from the colour palette of the New Stage, which is dominated by dark green Cuban serpentinite (often called green marble), as well as from the space of the stage itself.
The students of the Academy of Arts, Architecture & Design who created Nanovo’s installation at Designblok: Daniela Dvornická, Klára Opravilová, Sára Svobodová, and Matěj Peterka. Photo: Dita Havránková
A design that has aged well
The T2407 armchair began racking up awards soon after its release. In 1980 Viliam Chlebo received the Gold Medal for Design at a consumer goods exhibition in Brno as well as the most significant design award in Czechoslovakia – the Outstanding Product of the Year Award.
The second-place award at Designblok 2022 confirms that the design of the T2407 has truly aged well and that Nanovo’s decision to resurrect it was the right one.
Poster for installation at Designblok 2022, Matěj Peterka