Limited edition home decor. Slovak design and craftwork in the home

During the socialist period in Slovakia, especially the ‘normalization’ period that began after 1968, design and applied art were regarded as a space where—with the regime’s tacit approval—one could work with more freedom and openness. But we should add that in the cumbersome machinery of the planned socialist economy, a designer was often perceived as an element that ‘complicated’ the production process unnecessarily. While the designer’s importance was officially endorsed, in reality, there was only sporadic and limited cooperation with the industrial sphere. And so the prevailing alternative strategy for many designers was to do individual production within the limits of official professional structures, resulting in single pieces and limited editions.
If a Slovak consumer wanted to avoid mass-produced items and get something exclusive in home decor, there were two options during the socialist period (besides making it yourself). There was the Dielo chain of stores managed by the Slovak Fine Arts Foundation, which sold artworks and handicrafts. And there were the shops run by the Centre for Folk Art Production, which offered modern designs based on traditional crafts. Beyond that, residents of the capital could also enjoy opulent national exhibitions of applied art and industrial design held every few years, where the spotlight was on innovative and beautiful objects for the home.
In the story of Slovak housing culture from the 1950s to the 1980s, the strategy of individualized unique creation is well represented by the candlesticks and furniture of Viktor Holešťák-Holubár (1926–89), who often realized his ideas in cooperation with the Center for Arts and Crafts in Bratislava, a state organization dedicated to creative design for public interiors. The Center also participated in realizing the Government Lounge at Bratislava Airport.