In 1950, Theodor Jakob took over the business, which had been established in 1914 in the old town of Bern, and systematically restructured it. Modern furniture and Bauhaus icons replaced plush furnishings and regional style. In this way, he became a pioneer of modern home decor culture in Switzerland.

In 1955, Alfred Hablützel developed the enduring visual identity of teo jakob, characterised by red Helvetica font in lowercase and a modern, minimalist aesthetic. At the same time, Teo Jakob began collaborating with schools of applied arts and young Swiss designers such as Hans Eichenberger, Robert Haussmann and Kurt Thut. Thut also conceived the exhibition space at Gerechtigkeitsgasse 25 in Bern, which opened in 1955 and has remained the headquarters of teo jakob ever since.

In this year, teo jakob opened its first branch at Place des Eaux-Vives in Geneva.

As early as 1959, teo jakob began long-term business partnerships with leading international design collections, including Artemide, Artek, Cassina, Flos, Knoll International, Wittmann and Zanotta. In parallel, teo jakob established contacts with numerous artists, thus laying the foundation for the teo jakob art collection.

In 1968, teo jakob founded Wohnshop AG, a forerunner of modern interior design shops. This secondary brand for furniture and accessories, aimed at a young audience, opened Wohnshop outlets in Bern, Biel, Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, Geneva, Lausanne and St. Gallen.

In 1970, teo jakob was honoured with the Œuvre-Award in recognition of his pioneering and consistent promotion of high-quality modern interior design in Switzerland.

In 1972, teo jakob opened the specialist department for USM Haller modular furniture systems. To this day, teo jakob remains a close distribution partner of USM Haller; in Bern, teo jakob operates the USM PlayLab specialist showroom at Gerechtigkeitsgasse 36.

In 1975, teo jakob marked its 25th anniversary with a publication and the commemorative artist album «25 Years of teo jakob». Collaboration with Swiss artists led to numerous exhibitions, including «Pioniere des Möbels» in 1980 in Bern and «Pioniers du meuble» in 1983 in Geneva. From 1975 onwards, specialist shops for office furnishings, chairs, lamps and beds were gradually established, further expanding the product range as well as consulting and planning expertise.

In 1986, teo jakob moved to place de l’Octroi 8 in Geneva and tripled its exhibition space. To this day, the Geneva location of teo jakob is situated there.

In 1990, to mark the 40th anniversary of teo jakob, the location at Gerechtigkeitsgasse 36 in Bern was transformed into its current modern form and re-opened with a major anniversary celebration. The anniversary posters were designed by Teo Jakob’s close artist friends Schang Hutter, Bernhard Luginbühl, Rolf Iseli, Franz Eggenschwiler, Philippe Grosclaude and Roger Pfund.

In 1992, after 42 years, Teo Jakob sold the company to his long-serving management employees. As part of this management buyout, the current teo jakob Holding AG was founded.

In 1996, the Commission for General Cultural Affairs of the Canton of Bern honoured Teo Jakob with the Recognition Prize for his more than 40 years of work as an advocate and facilitator of Swiss and international design, as well as for his dedication to supporting the local art scene.

On 19 August 2000, Teo Jakob died, but his standards of modernity, quality and aesthetics continue to shape the company to this day. In the same year, teo jakob celebrated 50 years with a major anniversary exhibition of the «Teo Jakob Art Collection» Foundation. The holding company expanded into Zurich, Baar Sihlbrugg and Solothurn, making teo jakob present in five cities and even went online by launching teojakob.ch.

In 2010, teo jakob celebrated its 60th anniversary with several highlights: On the one hand «Amitiés» at Kunsthaus Langenthal showcased over 60 works from the teo jakob art collection, on the other hand Kunsthalle Bern presented «60 Years, 60 Unique Pieces» featuring design originals from international partners.

In 2012/2013, the Geneva premises at place de l’Octroi 8 were converted into a spacious loft, and the exhibition space was expanded to two floors totalling 1,500 square metres.

In 2013, teo jakob opened a new, additional showroom in the Löwenbräu-Areal in Zurich.

In 2015, Andome Innenarchitektur AG was integrated into teo jakob AG through a merger. A centre of competence for interior architecture, design and execution was created under the name «teo jakob Interior Architecture».

«To this day, we create new worlds through our contemporary spatial design. Pushing boundaries and bringing spaces to life – that is the common thread running through our history.»

– Simon Flückiger
CEO teo jakob