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Tolix – The Metal Chair That’s Everywhere
If you’re looking for new café, restaurant, or bar furniture then why not take a look at our replica Tolix range. Lightweight, durable, colourful, and stackable it’s all you could want from a commercial piece of furniture.
What is it?
Tolix is that metal chair that you’ve been seeing literally everywhere! Its body may be painted in orange, yellow, or apple green or left as its natural silver tone – but its sturdy curved legs and indented back are an instant giveaway.
Where is it?
Across major Australian cities, in modern airy coffee shops, dimly lit wine bars, and upscale Italian restaurants. You can buy a version for your home from many furniture retailers but mostly you’ll see this iconic chair and its matching stool in the public eye, as the preferred style of seat for all types of cafes, bars, restaurant and pubs.
Why is it everywhere?
The chair is currently in favour but it’s certainly not new. The chairs we see today are inspired by the Tolix ‘A’ Chair which its designer, Xavier Pauchard created and marketed in 1934. In 2004 the company was bought out of bankruptcy and still sells this stackable chair today.
The fact that the chair is in evidence in restaurants today is consistent with its history. Falling just a few years short of a century, this style of chair has been widely used in bistros and other public spaces.
The original A chair was durable, weather-resistant and could be conveniently stored in small places. This meant that it was useful for several different applications, especially for seating large numbers of people such as in schools, factories, and even hospitals as well as parks and pavement side Parisian cafes.
When modern-day café and restaurant owners give their reasons for purchasing Tolix chairs, the prime reason is functionality. Examples of what they mean include:
- The chair is simple in style
- Lightweight and easy to move around
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Stylish yet relatively inexpensive
- Stackable for added functionality
And, unlike wooden furniture, these metal chairs do not attract bugs or creepy crawlies!
Popular moments
Tolix industrial chairs have never really gone out of fashion, but there have been times when their popularity has swelled. The 1970s, for instance, saw an industrial heritage revival which gave back life to this particular metal chair.
Every café in town had a Tolix chair which helped to position Tolix as an iconic element of design history.
Getting back to 2019, and it’s a similar story. The rise of converted warehouses and industrial design – think exposed brick, steel girders, and raw timber – saw yet another Tolix moment. It satisfied a variety of styles in major cities across the world, from New York to London and Tokyo to Sydney.
Here at Café Solutions, we stock a wide range of Tolix style furniture from chairs and stools to bar tables and bench seats. Manufactured in the same way as the original from sheet metal and powder coated to help prevent marking and scratches, our Tolix style furniture is available in a variety of metallic hues and vibrant bold colours.
Understanding that metal seats can be a little cold and uncomfortable to sit on, the manufacturers have added timber seats and padded vinyl cushions to some of their designs.
Our popular Tolix stools are intended to accompany our replica Tolix chairs and are available in 3 different heights and a variety of styles and colours. They look great grouped around our Tolix bar tables
Our replica Tolix furniture enables our customers to have a designer look at a fraction of the price and is supplied with a 12-month warranty.
Why not take a closer look at our Tolix collection in our online store or visit our showrooms in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to check them out up close.