Assembly of Vintage MCM Lounge Chair by J. Smidek for Ton

Assembly of Vintage MCM Lounge Chair by J. Smidek for Ton

One of the many pros of mid century furniture is that they have a lightweight, straightforward design, with only the material necessary - no more and no less. As these furnitures were transported large distances from the factory / manufacturer to furniture stores and then to the customer's home, it only just made sense to design pieces that are easy to assembly in showrooms and at home alike. 

pair of a Vintage Mid Century Modern lounge chair by J. Smidek for Ton, from 1960s, with red upholstered cushions and dark wood structure, in an angled position on a clear white background

The reason is quite obvious: furnitures - no matter how sleek and minimal they are built - require way less space during transport once disassembled. This goes to factory-to-store, store-to-home - and quick forward to our time - home-to-home transport, too. Latter, in our case means from one country to another! :)

As a thoughtfully designed piece of furniture, the Boomerang lounge chair (designed by Jaroslav Smidek for Ton, Czechoslovakia) can be easily (dis)assembled and does not require special tools. I hope that these instructions will make the process even easier!

1. Weave the seat suspension belts

seat frame of a mid century modern lounge chair, showing the suspension system of interwoven leather belts, placed on a clear white floor

2. Connect the two sides "A" with element "B"

completely disassembled vintage mid century modern armchair, with all the parts laid flat on a clear white background

↓↓↓

partially assembled frame of a vintage mid century modern armchair, on a clear white background

Add a drop of wood glue to the dowels + dowel holes to make the connection extra secure!

Fasten the connection with the 2 long bolts and square nuts. Here's the circled area, enlarged:

hand holding two long bolts and two square shape nuts in front of a sleek, mid century modern lounge chair made of dark solid wood

Slip the square nuts into the slots on the connection beam "B" - the result will look like this:

bolt and nut in a sleek, mid century modern lounge chair of dark solid wood

Use a large flat screwdriver to secure the bolt.

↓↓↓

bolt and nut in a sleek, mid century modern lounge chair of dark solid wood

3. Insert and secure the woven seat into the frame

hand holding three long bolts and hex nuts next to the sleek frame of a mid century modern armchair

Secure the seat to the sides in 4 points: two in the front, two in the back. For the hex nuts you'll need a hex screwdriver like this:

hand holding a hex screwdriver pointing towards the viewer, in front of a solid wood armchair frame

Secure the 4 bolts from the inner side of the seat.

4. Add the backrest

hand holding three screws next to the frame of a solid wood armchair frame

Use the 3 screws to secure the bottom of the backrest to the back of the seat. Use a flat screwdriver to fix the screws, from underneath:

hand holding a screwdriver pointing towards to the frame of a solid wood armchair

Now secure the backrest to the armrests, from both sides:

hand holding a screw next to the frame of a solid wood armchair frame

Use the two shorter screws and the flat screwdriver.

5. Add the cushions - and You're done!

vintage Mid Century Modern lounge chair, with red upholstered cushions removed and placed next to the dark wood structure, making the backrest and seat suspension visiblete background

 

Enjoy your beautiful Ton lounge chairs for years to come!

pair of a Vintage Mid Century Modern lounge chair by J. Smidek for Ton, from 1960s, with red upholstered cushions and dark wood structure, in an angled position towards each other, on a clear white background

 

Best wishes,

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