The amazing collection and modern furniture design from Artifort has a timeless quality. The name of the company originally comes from the Latin word “ars”, meaning art or knowledge, and “fortis”, translated as “strong and powerful”. Artifort became a famous brand name that equally represents art and comfort. Many pieces of furniture became symbols of modern classics with their beautiful charm. Artifort's successful designers have shaped the company's typical trademark since the mid-20th century. These include Kho Liang Ie, Pierre Paulin, Geoffrey Harcourt, René Holten and Patrick Norguet.
The diverse onesArtifortProducts include seating, storage systems and tables. The epitome of form and function, the furniture for the home and public areas remains among the favorites of interior designers. Artifort traces its origins to 1890, when Jules Wagemans founded an upholstery business in Maastricht. Afterwards, his son, Henricus Wagemans, expanded the company and built a factory. By the end of 1920, their showroom in Amsterdam achieved international recognition for its style and quality. It was during this period that the Artifort trademark was created in 1928. Thanks to Artifort's quality and stylish appeal, they managed to overcome the economic recession in 1930. Maintaining a recognizable brand name and logo was a clever strategy at the time, which, combined with exclusive furniture design, ensured the company's continued success.
A big breakthrough for Artifort came at the beginning of the 1930 year, when the company's progressive thinking began to use Epeda internal suspension. This technical advantage was only used for car seats and mattresses. This groundbreaking technology replaced traditional horsehair, straw and kapok construction techniques. The new production technology not only improved efficiency but also allowed designers to create new styles to check. Materials were used that were much stronger and could support innovative shapes.
The contribution and influence of renowned designer Kho Liang Ie ensured that Artifort's products would move in parallel with the changing needs of the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, you can still see its impact in contemporary catalogs. The focus on both function and aesthetics keeps Artifort in the spotlight internationally. The new creative designers are always refreshing Artifort's portfolio so that they can respond to the ever-changing needs of customers.
Kho Liang Ie's successor, Pierre Paulin, presents fresh and colorful designs. His colorful seating is strikingly artistic with its innovative designs that have been admired by customers locally and internationally. Even now these pieces of furniture are identified with Artifort. A further change in production techniques and materials enabled the production of Paulin's novel ideas. This time metal pipes covered with foam were combined with stretchy materials. Paulin met Jack Lenor Larsen in 1967 and together they were the harbingers of a global design revolution in the use of innovative shapes, materials and textiles.
Artifort has remained a leading player in the international furniture market for so long because it reinvents its products. The company continually engages with the talents of young and dynamic designers who can work alongside established names. However, the company never loses sight of its fundamental philosophy:
“Design, functionality and quality go hand in hand”
Perhaps one of the highest honors a design company can achieve is when their work becomes part of an international gallery or museum collection. In this case, you can see furniture pieces by leading designers for Artifort in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Pompidou Center in Paris.
