Thonet | Preferred furniture brand for designer chairs

There are countless choices and preferences for designer chairs, and the only constant is Thonet.

If Thonet’s story was made into a movie, it would probably be “The Life of the Beloved Thonet”. From the Vienna court 200 years ago to the choice of countless shops in the streets today, Thonet has always been the first choice of many people.

In the more than 200 years since its establishment, Thonet has been deeply loved by artists, frequently appearing in their homes, paintings and film and television dramas. The most famous of them is Picasso, who often sits quietly in Thonet’s rocking chair. Admire the paintings, and once put the chairs into the paintings.

▲《Jacqueline sitting in a Rocking Chair》by Pablo Picasso，1954

In 1819, a cabinet maker named Michael Thonet set up a studio in Germany, and it was this gene that made Thonet’s various furniture woodworking techniques very rigorous.

In 1842, he brought a complete set of works to the Vienna Palace, capturing the hearts of the royal family in one fell swoop. The emperor admired him very much and gave him a privilege. In 1849, Michael Thonet set up the company and factory in Vienna with his royal privileges. 10 years later, Thonet’s most iconic work, the 14th chair, was born.

The name “Bentwood” comes from the state in which the wood on the chair has been bent into place. Using a combination of heat and moisture, the wood becomes soft and elastic enough to bend into different shapes. Once dry, the wood hardens and retains this curved shape for many years to come.

No.14 chair is called “the first chair of modern people”. This chair is the most famous and classic chair of the brand. From 1850 to 1930, the sales volume of this chair in the world has exceeded 50 million.

Its classic and success are more due to its attempt to use new technologies, not only to perfect the bentwood craftsmanship, to innovate the aesthetics of traditional furniture, and to present it to the world in an industrialized manner. Once it was unveiled, it won wide acclaim and was even exported to China in the late Qing Dynasty.

– Chair 18 –

In 1976, Thonet improved the backrest and seat plate of chair No. 14, also known as chair No. 18, because it was widely used in restaurants and cafes in Vienna at that time, also known as “bistro chair”, the backrest consists of two solid wood rods. Hand-curved and visually a little slender than the No. 14 chair, it is an excellent representation of European style.

– Chair 209 –

“This chair perfectly fulfills its mission as a chair: to be a light, comfortable, low-back armchair.”

—Le Corbusier

The world’s leading architect, Le Corbusier, used chair number 209 in many of his buildings, and the frame that forms the backrest and armrests is bent from a single piece of beech wood. The combination of minimal aesthetics and organic forms makes the chair look like a sculpture.

– S32 and S64 –

There are two cantilever chairs, the S32 and S64, which were born in 1928. Both are representative works of Marcel Breuer. The wicker-woven curved wood seat and backrest are a continuation of the traditional craftsmanship, while the steel tube frame indicates the future direction. They appear in many projects now.

– S533 –

In 1927, Thonet collaborated with modernist design master Mies van der Rohe to design this elegant and comfortable armchair S533, which redefines the environment in the form of a large and elegant curved circular steel tube, combining functionality and comfort. Sexual and timeless aesthetics, known as one of the representative furniture of the Bauhaus school.

Today, Thonet’s status in the global furniture industry is still highly respected, these classic products are still being produced, and those old furniture have become antiques that people are eager to collect.

While the designer chair is constantly innovating and actively embracing the needs of modern people, Thonet also adheres to the history and tradition of the brand, and that what is classic is the future.