Official Bear Chair partner in Switzerland
What began as a hobby in 2016 is today Bears & Dogs GmbH, your Swiss distribution partner for the Canadian original.
It started with a single chair
We are Bears & Dogs GmbH, official Swiss distribution partner of Canada's The Bear Chair Company of South River, Ontario, since the company was founded in 2020 (started as a hobby in 2016). It all began with a single chair: an Original Bear Chair that, after a summer on our terrace, survived the winter without being stored away and looked exactly the same in spring as the year before. Since then, we have been bringing these chairs, benches and tables from the Canadian workshop into Swiss gardens.
The original shape is over 120 years old: in 1903, Thomas Lee built the first chair with wide armrests, a tall backrest and an angled seat in the Adirondack Mountains. Hence the name. Carpenters from the Muskoka region of Ontario made the shape a fixture of Canadian cottage culture. Bear Chair stands in that tradition today.
Why Canadian Western Red Cedar?
All models are made from Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), a wood that is naturally resinous and repels moisture, fungi and pests. No chemical wood preservative, no pressure impregnation. The wood comes from Canadian forestry (Ontario), where manufacturing also takes place. With regular care, the furniture reaches a lifespan of several decades, even under Swiss weather conditions.
Protected by nature
Resinous, resistant to moisture, fungi and pests.
Without chemicals
No chemical wood preservative, no pressure impregnation.
A lifespan of decades
With simple care, even in the Swiss climate.
Our showroom in Frauenfeld
Would you like to touch a Bear Chair before buying, try it out and feel the build quality? We will show you the differences between the models. Appointments by prior arrangement.
Moosweg 17, CH-8500 Frauenfeld · +41 79 605 51 88 · info@bear-chair.ch
Book a Showroom AppointmentLast updated: June 2026