History of the tolix chair
The 'Tolix' chair was invented by Xavier Pauchard who was born in 1880 in heart of France, he, his father and grandfather before him were zinc roofers.
It was in 1907 that Pauchard discovered that he could protect sheet metal from rusting by dipping it in molten zinc, or galvanising it. A decade later, he set up a factory making steel household items and registered his trademark symbol as Tolix, by which name the company is still known.
This chair, a favourite of cafés and retro kitchens all over the world, was designed in 1934. It was meant to be outside in all weathers, which is why there are holes in the seats – to allow the rain to drain off. But when café owners complained that the chairs wouldn't stack properly Pauchard changed his design slightly. By 1956 the classic Tolix chair was created. With its slimmer frame, you could now stack 25 chairs to a height of 2.3 metres.
They were immediately popular, not just in cafés, where, but also in factories, offices and hospitals. This chair is still popular today with many copies available in a range of colours.