Launched just today, TYP already has the patina of a prestige brand. Its founders, Helen Thonet of the venerable Thonet family and Florian Lambl, former art director at Italian brand Mattiazzi, came together “over a mutual passion: how to fill the current gap in the design world.” Specifically, they wished to tackle the gap in the market for timeless furniture made sustainably and offered at reasonable prices. It seems a humble goal, one that took them three years to achieve – to “study the market, explore historical archives, collaborate with contemporary designers and find the world’s best manufacturers” – but the brand’s inaugural collection hints at a fascination with the greats and what makes them enduring.

The nuanced line revives marvels from the Bauhaus era as well as more recent explorations that draw their inspiration from a yesteryear more preoccupied with long-lasting quality than with the latest trend.

Among the classic designs that TYP is re-issuing are works by Erich Dieckmann and Josef Albers. Originally designed in the 1920s, Dieckmann’s D1 chair combines a gently curved back with a straight-lined structure, while the D2 chair is slightly more daring and of-the-Bauhaus-moment; the seats are offered in wickerwork leather or textile upholstery and wood. There will also be a statement-making D3 lounge to complete the offering.

Meanwhile, the collaboration with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation has resulted in the re-release of a handsome club chair, daybed and pouffe – all clean-lined and solid designs that feel resolutely contemporary.

Even the recently conceived pieces, designed especially for the brand, have a classic feel. For instance, Jasper Morrison‘s PEL is directly inspired by the sturdy, stackable steel chairs produced by Practical Equipment Ltd (PEL) in the 1930s. Similarly, Klemens Schillinger’s Tube reintroduces an icon: the tubular aluminum chairs ubiquitous on outdoor cafes. Both Morrison and Schillinger present their collections in bold colourways.

With many manufacturers obsessed with what’s new and next, it’s refreshing to see a different approach, less tied to the anxiety of nowness. Even a piece designed by Italian designer Cini Boeri in 2019, before her death the following year, is part of the collection: the Bacone sofa, available in various sizes, exudes geometric purity.

And the prices are competitive. The PEL by Jasper Morrison starts at US$293, the Daybed by Josef Albers at US$1,657 and Cini Boeri’s Bacone at US$1,583. It’s safe to bet that TYP, which has an online store as well as two showrooms opening next year in Vienna and Berlin, will succeed in filling the gap between affordability and longevity.