Module Wall Unit by Kho Liang Ie for Fristho, 1950s

Outside of the Netherlands, Dutch designer Kho Liang Ie is best known for his work at Artifort, as well as his interiors for the Schipol airport in Amsterdam (1967). To the Dutch, however, he's considered one of the most significant talents of 20th-century design, and a prestigious design award was named in his honor.

Born in 1927 to Chinese parents in Magelang, Indonesia, Liang Ie moved to the Netherlands in 1949. Between 1950 and 1954, he studied interior and industrial design at Amsterdam's Instituut voor Kunstnijverheidsonderwijs, now part of the Rietveld Academy. After graduation, he took a position with the Stichting Goed Wonen, an organization dedicated to using good design to aid the postwar recovery efforts. In 1958, he was appointed aesthetic consultant and designer at Artifort. During his tenure there, he not only created a number of wildly succussful designs, but also was responsible for pursuading Artifort to commission designs from major international designers, like Pierre Paulin and Geoffrey Harcourt.

Standout designs for Artifort include the Lamp K46 (1957-59), Squareline collection (1958-61), 416 Seating (1961-66), Series 070 Sofa (1962-64), 720 Banquette Sofa (1966), 820/822 Table (1967), C662 and C684 Sofa (1968), Flower Tables (1968-70), and 656 Chair (1970s).

Liang Ie produced designs for other manufacturers as well, such as the J Series collection for Fristho (1956-60), Landereis and Lieshout Tables for 't Spectrum (1958-62), Terrace Chair for C. A. Ruigrok Industrie (1960), a credenza for Kempkes (1960), Copal Credenza for Fristho (1960-63), and tile collections for ceramics company Royal Mosa (1964-70).

At a time when Dutch design generally embraced an austere, industrial aesthetic, Liang Ie introduced what would later be called a "space age" style, anticipating the postmodern movement that would come to the fore in the 1970s and '80s. While his forms maintain a simplicity and rationality in line with modernism, his experimental approach to materials resulted in a warmth and freedom that was uniquely his own in postwar Netherlands.

Much too young, Kho Liang Ie died in January, 1975. His designs, however, live on the collections of many important Dutch museums, including Museum of Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), and Museum Catharijneconvent (Utrecht).

Furniture manufacturer Fristho was one of the most prominent Dutch furniture makers in the 1950s and ‘60s, alongside Pastoe, Artifort, Gispen, and ‘t Spectrum. The company was established in 1921 as Friesche Stoel-en Houtwarenfabriek (Friesian Chair and Wood Factory), referred to as Fristho for short, in the town of Franeker. It is unknown who established the factory, however, it is confirmed that in the beginning, the factory produced wooden chairs for the domestic market.

In the early 1950s, Fristho sought out young designers eager to embrace new styles, including the American designer William Watting, German designer Rudolf Glatzel, and Danish designer Inger Klingenberg (1932-1997). Watting’s 'Modern Art' collection, in particular, sparked Frishto’s new direction in furniture with Scandinavian influences. In 1956, Fristho appointed Chinese-Dutch designer Kho Liang Ie (1927-1975) and graphic designer Wim Crouwel to lead the company in a new direction characterized by innovation and modernist values. This collaboration resulted in a collection of furniture that included the JDL 225 Sideboard (1956). The sideboard was deemed too avant-garde for contemporary audiences, resulting in a relatively short period of production. Internationally, however, the sideboard was well-liked, and the collection was subsequently licensed by Arflex in Milan.

Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, Fristho became very successful producing a wide range of modernist furniture - spanning sideboards, wall units, coffee tables, and dining tables -  that became representative of postwar European design. These designs reflected a new era of consumer prosperity and technological progress, using prefab materials for the production. Notable designs include Klingenberg’s IK Chair (1950s), which featured a timeless modern construction, it produced until the late 1970s;  Liang Ie’s J Series (1956-60) and Copal Series (1960-1963), both of which found immense commercial success; and Glatzel’s G-Series Sideboard (1962), which was on display at the "Fries Design: Fristho" exhibition in the Netherlands in 2014.

By the 1970s, Fristho sold their furniture in cities such as Los Angeles, Paris, and Milan. In the late 1970s, due to the economic crisis in the Netherlands, Fristho suffered financially and the factory closed its doors forever in 1978. Today, the vintage pieces produced in the 1950s up until the ‘70s are popular on the vintage market, praised for their postwar aesthetic.