Jindřich Halabala

(1903-1978)
Shortly before turning twenty, Halabala enrolled in the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague, in the studio headed by Professor Pavel Janák. After graduating in 1926, he was briefly engaged in the studio of Bohumil Hübschmann in Prague, followed by his post of director of the UP company’s Prague outlet. Owing to his versatile skills, Halabala was invited to head the design studio of the UP company’s Brno branch. Shortly afterwards he became the firm’s development manager, remaining in the position until 1946. In the late 1920s, when UP began to espouse mass production of standardized furniture sets, Halabala was responsible for the firm’s product line selection. Jindřich Halabala was responsible not only for the development of the company’s products (he designed most of its “H” model furniture), but also for the products’ promotion and sales strategy. The company shops displayed fully furnished interiors and the customers could consult an interior designer, who was able to propose custom-targeted solutions. The furniture manufactured by the UP company during the period between the wars was of superior quality, comparable to the best European furniture production of the time.