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Tolix

Tolix is a French steel furniture manufacturer based in Autun, Burgundy. Xavier Pauchard (1880–1948) developed a process for galvanizing sheet metal from 1907 onwards and registered the Tolix brand name in 1927. In 1934 he designed the Model A Chair — known as the Marais A — with drainage holes and the ability to stack up to 25 units high. It was used aboard the ocean liner SS Normandie, in French cafés, hospitals and schools, and remains one of the best-selling chair models in history.

After Pauchard's death, the factory remained in family ownership until it was sold to Chantal Andriot in 2004. Normal Studio (Jean-François Dingjian and Eloi Chafaï) subsequently developed new product lines — tables, benches and stools. In 2025, Emmanuelle McGrath became the company's president. All furniture continues to be handmade in Autun (Made in France). The Marais A is held in the permanent collections of the Centre Pompidou Paris, the Vitra Design Museum and MoMA New York.

Tolix is one of the few brands where industrial origin, handcraft production and iconic status are indivisible. For hospitality and restaurant projects that call for cultural reference, the brand remains a standard point of specification.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tolix

Tolix is a French steel furniture manufacturer based in Autun, Burgundy. Xavier Pauchard (1880–1948) developed a process for galvanizing sheet metal from 1907 onwards and registered the Tolix brand name in 1927. In 1934 he designed the Model A Chair — known as the Marais A — with drainage holes and the ability to stack up to 25 units high. It was used aboard the ocean liner SS Normandie, in French cafés, hospitals and schools, and remains one of the best-selling chair models in history.

After Pauchard's death, the factory remained in family ownership until it was sold to Chantal Andriot in 2004. Normal Studio (Jean-François Dingjian and Eloi Chafaï) subsequently developed new product lines — tables, benches and stools. In 2025, Emmanuelle McGrath became the company's president. All furniture continues to be handmade in Autun (Made in France). The Marais A is held in the permanent collections of the Centre Pompidou Paris, the Vitra Design Museum and MoMA New York.

Tolix is one of the few brands where industrial origin, handcraft production and iconic status are indivisible. For hospitality and restaurant projects that call for cultural reference, the brand remains a standard point of specification.