Durlet

Founder Gilles (Egidius) Durlet, the stepfather of Piet Vanzieleghem, was previously active in the furniture industry and did not doubt his choice for a moment. Piet Vanzieleghem also provided the assurance of continuity of the business. The company's decision to specialise in designer chairs was unconventional and certainly not obvious at the time, when Flemish manufacturers were fully dedicated to anonymous mass production. He asked three German designers to develop chairs. One of them was Anita Smidt, who more than 40 years later still designs chairs for Durlet. Anton Vanzieleghem, the third generation in the family business, also swears by design. The design roots can be seen at many levels. Durlet is one of the five remaining companies that since as early as 1968 have loyally contributed to Interieur, where they regularly appear with innovative and attention-getting products such as the Spin by Alfredo Häberli in 2006. (...)

The factory does not have a public showroom, but its chairs can be found in interior furnishing shops everywhere in Belgium and the neighbouring countries.