Yellow and white chest by Jiri Jiroutek, model U-452, circa 1960

Few designers anywhere have created pieces that more distinctly shout mid-century modern than Jiri Jiroutek. Even as a young designer, Jiroutek reenvisioned the fabrication and functionality not only of cabinets and kitchen furnishings but also interior architecture.

However, it was the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair that ultimately inspired the Czech designer's funky, colorful, decorative yet multifunctional U-450 cabinets of the late ’50s and early ’60s that made Jiroutek a leading figure in the so-called Czech Brussels school.

Jiroutek's influence didn’t stop there. After revising an Ikea prototype design at the firm’s request in 1958, Jiroutek received an invitation from Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad to join the company in Stockholm. The designs he created there in the late 1960s, as well as others inspired by his work at the renowned manufacturer Interiér Praha, remain Ikea best sellers to this day.

Find vintage Jiri Jiroutek sideboards, chests of drawers and other furniture on 1stDibs.