Ever since Nanovo's birth we have been on a detective mission through Czech and Czechoslovak design history to find timeless pieces that represent the best of our nation's furniture and home decor items production from the second half of 20th century.
Highly prized cabinets from sectoral furniture set U-450, designed in 1958 was paradoxically originally not deemed for "upper middle class", it wasn't a furniture manufactured in small series or custom-made as it used to be with similar mid-century marketed furniture. As Mr. Jiroutek himself says, this sectoral furniture was designed with a clear vision of cheapest possible production. In the wild years following 1948 in Czechoslovakia, furniture became in high demand. Cheaper production was possible through technical innovation of Mr. Jiroutek and hence U-450 became available for masses. The popularity of this piece is proven by its incredibly long production: 20 years!
Interier Praha produced until 1979 thousands of these pieces.
Once we got to know that Jiri Jiroutek still continues to design new pieces at his Prague flat, we wanted to meet with him - we immediately thought that perhaps we would be able to renew the production. Together with Mr. Jiroutek we re-designed the technical documentation that was lost.
Plywood that was used for the drawers with their fronts typically shaped and with a black varnished handle of U-453 cabinet were exchanged for beech solid wood. The original construction produced out of veneered chipboards is now produced spruce solid wood with beech veneer. Aside from these construction adjustments we have not touched the designes and left everything as it was designed 60 years ago by Jiri Jiroutek.
Cooperation with Mr. Jiroutek lead to a contract making Nanovo the sole producer of these cabinets. All cabinets are hand-made in the Czech Republic.
We are setting off with first series of 100 pieces.
