Founded by two furniture industry veterans, Typ offers refreshed historical designs as well as collaborations with contemporary designers.
By Rachel Gallaher
Tube Chair by Klemens Schillinger, available through TYP.
Another day, another furniture brand launch. This one, based out of Vienna, is called Typ, and it happens to be a little different from the myriad of companies springing up to offer similar collections or obviously knocked-off pieces. Founded by Helen Thonet and Florian Lambl (she has a background in historical design, he in art direction), who started planning their venture three years ago, Typ was launched in order to fill a gap the duo saw in the market by reintroducing historic pieces as well as offering new collections, all at more affordable price points.
“Today’s design industry is more or less driven by the same players for many years,” Thonet says. “Of course, new brands, whose collections are based on current trends are entering the market—but these are not filling gaps, they are overcrowding popular design.”
“There’s also a gap [in the market] because most great designs are sold with a premium price,” Lambl adds. “This indirectly opens the doors to the vast number of replicas. With our pricing we are able to take away the need to go for a cheaper version of an original. Also, in our branding we can invent everything from scratch: light, flexible, with a modern lifestyle claim.”
Josef Albers Daybed.
Working with various foundations and offices, including the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Typ secured a handful of pieces from design masters for its first collection. Among these are a chair and lounge seat designed in the 1920s by Bauhaus legend Erich Dieckmann, three pieces by Josef Albers (a lounge chair from 1928 and a daybed and a pouf that date to 1930), a 1930s tubular steel chair originally made by Practical Equipment (PEL) that has been re-engineered by Jasper Morrison, and a Cini Boeri sofa that was the late Italian architect’s last design project, created in 2019. This release marks the first time that furniture by Albers will be accessible to the public at large.
Erich Dieckmann chairs.
“As we put together the collection, we found that some of our designers had similar thoughts about [making their work widely available],” Thonet says. “Erich Dieckmann wanted his designs to be literally for everyone, and Cini Boeri’s designs were, in her time, radical.”
Every item presented by TYP is manufactured using the highest standard of sustainability and the company only works with FSC-certified suppliers, ensuring that all wood comes from responsibly managed forests. In addition to furniture, TYP is also launching its first grpahic art collection, No News Today by Mike Meiré, the art director behind various international magazines such as 032c, Cahier des Arts, and Garage.
“Our vision and ambition are to bring products to the market that will have substantial relevance,” says Thonet. “We know the demands set on products for modern interior collections today. More than just adjusting colors and fabrics season after season, we want to create a new standard within the design industry that revolves around great design, competitive pricing, and sustainable manufacturing.”
