Manufacturer · Czechoslovakia · Prague
Krásná Jizba
Krásná Jizba – Czech interior design cooperative from Prague, founded in 1927 at Družstevní práce; known for Ladislav Sutnar's sets.
About the manufacturer
- Country
- Czechoslovakia
- Location
- Prague
Krásná Jizba was established at the end of 1927 as a branch of the Prague publishing house Družstevní práce (dp). It ran sales, production, exhibitions and consultancy, offering household furnishings that were practical, aesthetic and affordable. It operated on a cooperative model: members were shareholders and could buy items in instalments or at a discount.
The institution promoted functionalism: it rejected ornament, focusing on geometric forms and the natural properties of materials. Its range included glass, porcelain, woven rugs and furniture, including tubular steel furniture from the 1930s. Krásná Jizba worked with, among others, Ladislav Sutnar, Antonín Kybal, Ludvika Smrčková, Bohumil Južnič, Jan E. Koula and the photographer Josef Sudek. Its best-known products were Sutnar's drinking and dining sets.
The original ideas of Krásná Jizba came to an end with the political change of 1948. In 1957, the institution was taken over by the Centre for Folk Production (ÚLUV), and the shop on Národní Street closed in the early 1990s. In 2018–2019, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague presented the exhibition “Krásná Jizba dp 1927–1948: Design for Democracy”.
