Anyone who ever went to school in Switzerland will be familiar with the name Embru – the company’s products have been adopted at every level of the na­tional education system. But the long tradition behind this company is perhaps less well known. Founded as the Eisen­ und Metallbettenfabrik Rüti in canton Zurich, Embru attracted attention in the 1930s with its modern tubular steel furniture and its partnerships with prestigious designers and archi­tects. The Embru school desks also emerged during this period. In the wake of the Second World War, Embru concentrated on developing its hospital and care beds before launching “ergodata” in the late 1970s, one of the world’s most successful office furniture programmes. That was followed by “eQ”, the first modular system not requiring any tools for as­sembly. Made to Swiss standards of perfection and in a timeless design, the metal “eQ” modules are flexible, enduring and particularly long­lasting – typically Embru.

Dependable and mobile
As a furniture maker, Embru never limited itself to any one category of products, preferring instead to produce a wide range of very different furniture. Based on its remarkable manufacturing depth, own production facilities and the technical expertise of an experienced workforce, Embru developed and made all items entirely in-house. They also include an impressive series of design classics: in particular the Swiss modern art furniture developed between 1930 to 1950 in partnership with protagonists of the “New Building” movement such as Max Ernst Haefeli, Marcel Breuer and Alfred Roth. These classics can be viewed in museums around the world, are highly sought after by collectors and are indeed still made by Embru to the original plans, even today.

Timelessly beautiful
For style­conscious purists, this is undoubtedly the most beautiful bed in the world: the famous Roth bed, also known as “455”, was designed in 1927 by Alfred Roth, the avant­garde Swiss architect. Head­board and footboard are black or brilliant chrome­plated and can be assembled or taken apart entirely without screws. The bed surface with adjustable head section can accommodate a spring mattress plus roll cushions along the width and length – instantly transforming the bed into a comfortable sofa. Used in pairs, the beds make a charming double bed. With the Altorfer lounger, often referred to as the “spaghetti chair” because of its rows of colourful plastic threads, Embru added one of the best­known Swiss garden furniture design classics to its product range. It was created in 1948 by Huldreich Altorfer, son of the Embru director at that time.

The chair owes its success to its superb comfort, timeless form and extremely robust finish. The Altorfer chairs were often mixed and matched with a newly launched garden table by Max Ernst Haefeli. Haefeli was a Swiss architect and one of the major propo­nents of the “New Building” movement in Switzer­land. His elegant chair designs 1020 and 1021, created in 1938 became timeless companions to his garden tables. Rare is the designer who succeeds in producing furniture of such outstanding aesthetic and functional quality that it endures for decades – Embru’s garden furniture classics still look good today in a summery corner of the garden or on any stylish patio.