Manufacturer · Poland · Bytom
Bytomskie Fabryki Mebli
Bytomskie Fabryki Mebli – a state-owned furniture factory in Bytom, one of the serial producers of Bogusława and Czesław Kowalski’s wall unit.
About the manufacturer
- Country
- Poland
- Location
- Bytom
Bytomskie Fabryki Mebli was among the 43 enterprises in the furniture industry that, from 1 January 1952, were subordinate to Centralny Zarząd Przemysłu Meblarskiego (Central Management of the Furniture Industry). The date when the factory was founded and its earlier history are not documented in the available sources.
The best-documented chapter in the factory’s history is the production of a wall unit designed by Bogusława and Czesław Kowalski from Poznań, known as the “Kowalski system”. The design emerged from a competition for furniture for small flats, and its prototype was made in 1962. According to a publication by Magdalena Smaga (Museum of Krakow, “Krzysztofory” 2016), Łódzkie Fabryki Mebli and Bytomskie Fabryki Mebli produced the wall unit in series; production in Bytom is also confirmed by “Rzeczpospolita”. Galeria BWA w Bydgoszczy (BWA Gallery in Bydgoszcz) associates the start of production with an exhibition on Przeskok Street. J. Kowalski’s book “Meble Kowalskich. Ludzie i rzeczy” (2014) is devoted to the history of this furniture.
According to “Rzeczpospolita”, in 1973 the enterprise was transferred to Katowice and renamed Katowickie Fabryki Mebli „Agata”; since 2015, the company has operated under the name Agata. At MIDMOD, furniture from Bytomskie Fabryki Mebli appears as individual pieces from the secondary market.
