1884 — Today

Johan Heinrich descended from 3 generations of German craftsmen. In 1884, Heinrich establishes his company 'J. H Auchenberg' at Pilestræde 8, in the centre of Copenhagen. The company specialized in gas fittings and technical taps. When the founder Johan Heinrich died on September 19, 1911, his youngest son, Einer Otto took over. Otto changed the company name to 'E.O. Auchenberg' and switched to the manufacture of sanitary fittings.  

The Christiansborg fixture was designed during the reconstruction of Christiansborg Castle following a fire in 1884. The reconstruction started in 1906 and was not completed until 1928. and it was i.a. Auchenberg, who produced and supplied these fixtures for the large imposing castle. This event helped to change the company's focus on sanitary fittings.  

Martens Metalvarefabrik was established on June 5, 1918 by 30-year-old, Hugo Martens. From the beginning, Hugo created all his fixtures with a shut-off valve under each seat, which at the time was quite unusual and otherwise only seen at E.O. Auchenberg.

H. Martens Metalvarefabrik secures the patent and production rights for the SP cylinder head, which was developed by the engineer Sparre-Petersen (SP).  

When Johan Heinrich Auchenberg's grandson, Fritz Toxborg bought H. Martens Metalvarefabrik in 1956, he became free from his father's influence. Toxborg immediately renamed the newly-acquired company 'TONI.' Toxborg also acquired the rights to the SP cylinder head which, as he knew from years of experience, was incredibly valuable. The first two letters of his newly acquired surname became the first half of the name TONI. The last two were derived from the surname 'Nielsen,' which represented a friend of Fritz from the resistance movement. He also introduced a new logo that featured a castle with the TONI name framed within. The idea for the castle came from the last part of the surname 'Toxborg.'

TONI sold 15,000 SP luminaires to the largest hospital in Denmark. Both the Elbow and the SP fixtures are still in use in the hospital today. Later, TONI's fixtures gained a foothold in 60-70% of the Danish hospital sector.

Kurt Erling Nielsen takes over TONI. and came from a background with the wholesaler AO.

The T-line series was designed by architect, Knud Holscher. The series was displayed as a permanent exhibit at the "Die Neue Sammlung" in Munich, which is a counterpart to MOMA in New York. The T-line series is no longer in production.

Architect, Henning Larsen uses the cross-handle luminaire for an impressive and award-winning construction in Saudi Arabia. TONI's fixtures were later installed at the Danish Embassy in Riyadh, the National Museum in Bahrain, the National Bank in Baghdad and Churchill College in Cambridge. 

At the fair "Construction for Billions", TONI relaunches the Christiansborg fixture with red and blue buttons. Amalienborg Palace and Valdemar Castle were some of the first customers.

Prince Henrik and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Niels Helveg Petersen attended the opening of TONI's factory in South Africa. The factory was later closed and today, all production has been moved back to the factory in Denmark.

In 1996, architect, Henning Larsen built Glyptoteket's latest major extension. Larsen was inspired by both ancient Egyptian buildings and the narrow streets of the small mountain towns around the Mediterranean. For many years, Henning Larsen has chosen TONI as his preferred choice of sanitary fittings. At the Glyptoteket, TONI's SP fixtures still hang to this day.

TONI is referenced in the book, Danish Design by Thomas Dickson. In it, Dickson explains how Denmark has become an innovative design country that garners great attention and recognition worldwide. The Christiansborg luminaire is included in the book as the oldest Danish fixture still produced in Denmark by TONI.

The Royal Danish Theatre undergoes extensive renovations and TONI delivers sanitary fittings to the beautiful old theatre throughout the 2000s and beyond.

In November 2017, the Nimb building adds a new, ultra-modern wing, called the Tivoli Corner. The hotel expands from 17 rooms to a total of 38 luxurious rooms and suites, all furnished in the highest quality, including TONI's fixtures. In 2020, the Nimb hotel was the only hotel in Northern Europe to enter the prestigious Condé Nast Gold List of the world's best hotels.

After 45 years of ownership, the Nielsen family sells to new owners. Mark Christiansen is appointed as CEO. The new owners chose to lengthen the company's name to 'TONI Copenhagen' and re-introduce the company's original logo from 1960.

TONI Copenhagen moves to a new domicile. A charming backyard on Lykkesholms Allé, Frederiksberg C, which now forms the framework for the company.

Our hand assembled fixtures from 1918 now house advanced technology, offering boiling and filtered water. This strategic development combines our legacy and future in the most beautiful way.