The success of the Paged brand is a fascinating story of over 140 years of history, in which the technology of bentwood plays a key role. Hundreds of master craftsmen, working at the Jasienica factory for decades, have contributed to the company’s development. The innovative approach of working with ambitious and respected designers has resulted in the creation of iconic furniture and the brand’s presence in more than 40 foreign markets.

The story begins with Michael Thonet, founder of a carpentry workshop in 1819, who in 1859 designed one of the most iconic chairs in the world – Chair No. 14. This is the chair on which he composed Brahms and Le Corbusier drew modern designs, and which we have produced for decades and refreshed recently with Studio Spark as part of the AlterEgo collection with Fuoco Blu and Fuoco Arancia models.

Key moments in history:

• 1881 – The Jasienica bentwood furniture factory is founded by Josef Hofmann, a merchant from Zabloc, who transforms the previously acquired Jasienica sawmill and match factory in Bielsko into bentwood furniture factories.
• 1923 – The history of the Jasienica factory and the Thonet company converges in 1923. The shares of Thonet’s family company are bought by Mundus – the former competitor of the famous technologist. The new owner also absorbs the factories not belonging to the Thonet concern and thus a single organisation is formed under the name “Thonet – Mundus”. It includes the Jasienica factory.
• 1931 – A company called “Polska Agencja Eksportu Drewna” Spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością is established. A year later it changes its name to “PAGED – Polska Agencja Eksportu Drewna”.
• 1951: Centrala Handlu Zagranicznego PAGED (Foreign Trade Agency PAGED) is established, whose task was to sell products of Polish producers of the broadly defined wood industry, i.e. furniture, sawmill, plywood and paper, to export markets.
• The 1990s – privatisation of the majority of state enterprises in the wood industry; Centrala Handlu Zagranicznego Paged Sp. z o.o. becomes a joint stock company Paged S.A. and builds a production and trade holding.

Today – The furniture designed and produced by Paged is the result of knowledge of traditional craftsmanship, which, in addition to solid workmanship, consists of thinking about ergonomics, durability and design. The appearance of most furniture has evolved over the years, approaches to ergonomics and the environment have changed, and modern technologies have emerged. However, the process of making furniture, although with the help of machines, still cannot do without people. Every piece of wood is different, and no technological process can change that.