Manufacture Baumann

The Manufacture Baumann was a furniture manufacturing company. It was one of the most prominent companies in the chair market of the twentieth century. Founded in 1901 by the Swiss Émile Baumann, it manufactured chairs for children in Colombier-Fontaine. There he strongly developed the technique of bentwood. Managed for a time by son Walter Baumann, it reached its peak in the 1970s with 600 employees. The company had diversified by manufacturing chairs for famous bistros, called Baumann chairs of a particular design. Carts for children called "cart", coat racks, pedestal tables completed the collection3. Renamed “La Compagnie des Sièges” in 2000 and having only 35 employees, the company was closed in 2003 following economic difficulties4. A museum on this company and the chairs produced has been in the works since 20125. Baumann chairs are highly sought after in 2015 by collectors.