Vitsœ, formerly known as Vitsœ-Zapf or Vitsœ & Zapf, is a British

furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

, originally

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, known for its collaboration with

Dieter Rams Dieter Rams (born 20 May 1932) is a German industrial designer who is most closely associated with the consumer products company Braun (company), Braun, the furniture company Vitsœ, and the functionalism (architecture), functionalist school of ...

. Its furniture is widely known as a German design classic. The 620 system is currently used in the

German Chancellery The Federal Chancellery (, ) is a Germany, German Federal agency (Germany), federal agency serving the executive office of the chancellor of Germany, the head of the Government of Germany, federal government, currently Friedrich Merz. The Chancel ...

History

The company Vitsœ + Zapf was founded in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany in 1959 by Danish furniture dealer Niels Vitsœ and German

industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in adva ...

er Otto Zapf to produce furniture designed by Dieter Rams, who was already working for the

consumer products A final good or consumer good is a final product ready for sale that is used by the consumer to satisfy current wants or needs, unlike an intermediate good, which is used to produce other goods. A microwave oven or a bicycle is a final good. Whe ...

company,

Braun Braun is a surname, originating from the German language, German word for the color brown. In German, ''Braun'' is pronounced – except for the "r", equal to the English word "brown". In English, it is often pronounced like "brawn". Notable p ...

. Rams produced numerous furniture designs for Vitsœ, including the 606 Universal Shelving System and the 620

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

programme. Otto Zapf left the company in 1969 and it was renamed simply ‘Vitsœ’. Following several years of financial difficulties, the company was rescued by managing director Mark Adams in the 1990s, and moved production to the United Kingdom. In 2017 Vitsœ moved its workshop to a new HQ and production building, purpose-built out of wood and glass in

Royal Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...

, in central

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Products

Vitsœ produces and sells the ''606 Universal Shelving System'' (introduced in 1960) and the ''620 Chair'', both designed by Rams. Design critic Spencer Bailey described the system as "one of the most—if not ''the most''—functional and well-built designs I can think of."

References

External links

Vitsœ Website
Furniture companies of Germany Manufacturing companies established in 1959 Furniture companies 1959 establishments in West Germany Design companies established in 1959 Industrial design {{Germany-company-stub