Swiss chair and table manufacturer: furniture made from bent solid wood, produced in its own manufactory in Glarus since 1880.
AG Möbelfabrik Horgenglarus
Glarus (company headquarters, manufactory, showroom) · Horgen (founding site, closed 1948)New on Amplifa
Manufactory since 1880
AG Möbelfabrik Horgenglarus, based in Glarus, is one of the oldest chair and table manufacturers in Switzerland and has been producing furniture in its own manufactory since 1880. The company manufactures chairs, tables, bar stools and stools from domestic solid woods such as beech, oak, maple, elm, cherry, walnut and ash, as well as from plywood and steel tube. The core process is bentwood technology: blanks are treated in steam boilers, shaped in bending machines and dried in drying chambers; CNC milling machines and specialised craftsmen then carry out the manufacturing, followed by hand sanding, assembly and surface treatment through lacquering, staining, oiling or soaping. A chair goes through around 50 work steps; cast iron feet are produced in sand casting at the Chur foundry. Horgenglarus also offers prototype construction, individual custom-made pieces, restoration, refurbishment service and buy-back as part of the circular economy. The furniture can be found in restaurants, hotels, healthcare facilities, offices, public buildings and private settings worldwide, including the Bern Federal Palace and Zurich's Kronenhalle.
- Site
- Glarus
- Processes
- Cutting and planing of sawn timber, Steam wood bending (bentwood technology), CNC milling, Sanding (by hand, multiple passes, sanding belts), Assembly (screwing and gluing), Surface treatment: lacquering (clear/opaque, 2 passes with intermediate sanding), staining, oiling, Wood drying in drying chambers (heated with waste wood), Sand casting of cast iron feet (by the Chur foundry)
- Materials
- Beech (solid wood, rotary-cut/sliced veneer, bent), Oak, Maple, Elm, Cherry, Walnut, Ash, Plywood
- Founded
- 1880
- Industries
- Gastronomy, Hotels/Hospitality, Healthcare/Care, Industry/Office, Churches/Public buildings, Private sector
- 01
Wood sourcing (Swiss Jura, Groupe Corbat)
- 02
Cutting and planing of sawn timber
- 03
Steaming and bending (bentwood technology)
- 04
Drying in drying chambers (heated with waste wood)
- 05
CNC milling and manual processing
- 06
Hand sanding
- 07
Assembly (screwing and gluing)
- 08
Surface treatment (lacquering, staining, oiling, soaping)
- 09
Upholstery and wickerwork
- 10
Restoration and service
Wood and processes
Beech
Solid wood as well as rotary-cut and sliced veneer, mainly for bentwood technology and chair backs.
Oak
Solid wood and veneer for chairs and tables.
Maple
Solid wood and veneer for furniture surfaces.
Elm
Solid wood and veneer for individual furniture versions.
Cherry
Solid wood and veneer for chairs and tables.
Walnut
Solid wood and veneer for high-quality furniture models.
Ash
Solid wood and veneer for chair and table constructions.
Plywood
Used for curved components such as the stool 11-020 made of three plywood parts.
Cast iron
Sand-cast feet, manufactured by the Chur foundry.
Steel tube
Base frames for certain chair models.
Locations
Glarus
CHCompany headquarters, manufactory and showroom
- Lot size
- Prototype to small series
- Materials
- Beech, oak, maple, elm, cherry, walnut, ash, plywood, steel tube
- CNC milling machine
- Bending machine (wood bending)
- Steam boiler
- Drying chamber
- Heating system (waste wood combustion)
- Sanding belts
Furniture and components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cutting and planing of sawn timberMachining | – | – | – | Small series | Beech, Oak, Maple, Elm, Cherry, Walnut, Ash |
| Steam wood bending (bentwood technology)Forming | – | – | – | – | Beech |
| CNC millingMachining | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Sanding (by hand, multiple passes, sanding belts)Surface | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Assembly (screwing and gluing)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Surface treatment: lacquering (clear/opaque, 2 passes with intermediate sanding), staining, oilingSurface | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Wood drying in drying chambers (heated with waste wood)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | Beech |
| Sand casting of cast iron feet (by the Chur foundry)Casting | – | – | – | – | Cast iron |
| Veneering (rotary-cut and sliced veneer)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Beech, Oak, Maple, Elm, Cherry, Walnut, Ash |
| Wickerwork of seat surfaces (by hand)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Upholstery (cutting, sewing, covering)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Textile, Leather |
| Prototype construction (manual)Engineering | – | – | – | 1 | Wood |
| Restoration and refurbishment service (disassembly, re-gluing, surface renewal, glide installation)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Wood, Steel tube |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC milling machine | – | – | – | – | Glarus |
| Bending machine (wood bending) | – | – | – | – | Glarus |
| Steam boiler for wood bending | – | – | – | – | Glarus |
| Drying chamber (wood drying) | – | – | – | – | Glarus |
| Heating system (waste wood combustion for drying chambers) | – | – | – | – | Glarus |
| Sanding belts | – | – | – | – | Glarus |
Additional services
Reference customers
Company history
- 1880
Founded by Emil Baumann in Horgen; focus on bentwood technology and serial furniture production
- 1902
Conversion into a public limited company (A.-G. Möbelfabrik Horgen-Glarus); second production site opened in Glarus; seating for the Bern Federal Palace
- 1918
First production of the Classic 1-380 chair, the classic Swiss stained chair
- 1925
Le Corbusier presents horgenglarus chairs (model 1224) at the Exposition internationale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris
- 1931
Zurich's Kronenhalle furnished with horgenglarus furniture
- 1948
Consolidation of both production sites in Glarus; closure of the Horgen site
- 1983
Renamed ag möbelfabrik horgenglarus
- 1999
Economic crisis; takeover by Markus Landolt, restructuring and realignment
- 2011
Sale to the von Nordeck family; 2012 withdrawal of Markus Landolt
- 2025
Introduction of the Generations Pass for cross-generational circular economy