Sofa Bed by František Jirák for Tatra, 1960s

This sofa bed is in good vintage condition.

W 190cm d 90cm h 80cm sh 40cm


W 190cm d160cm h 80cm sh 40cm open /day bed/


The Tatra Furniture company (Nábytok translates as ‘furniture’) has a long and established tradition of producing Furniture in Martin, Slovakia that dates back to 1889 when it formed part of the Kingdom of Hungary at that time. Originally producing stools and a small collection of bentwood beech chairs the company’s elegant but also functional designs soon became sought after and they expanded sales to Africa, Australia and the USA. Originally established by the entrepreneurs Ladislav Dobrovits, Banskobystričan and Svagor Svetozar Hurban Vajanský the company was said to have inspired Michael Thonet and benefited from the knowledge gained from the TON factory’s expertise in bentwood fabrication.

Despite the success of the business the two World Wars took their toll, as it did with many furniture producers in that geographical area at the time. The company was therefore subsequently saved from bankruptcy on more than one occasion by Tatra Bank who eventually took a majority shareholding in the company and thus was renamed ‘Tatra Nábytok Pravenec, n. p.’ (national enterprise). This coincided with the company’s manufacturing base being moved to Pravenec in the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia in the early 1940’s. Here the company re-based it’s production method and once again flourished. At its height, Tatra furniture managed ten factories throughout the Central Slovakia region and employed over 750 local artisans producing 2,000 pieces a day across a range that included furniture, hangers, tables, stools and even umbrellas. The company, that grew to become the largest Slovak chair manufacturer of the 20th Century, unfortunately closed in 2007