Upholstered Bentwood Side Chair by Thonet
View Similar Items
Upholstered Bentwood Side Chair by Thonet
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 17 in (43.18 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Newly upholstered and finished.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1560216552152
Thonet
For more than 180 years, Thonet — or Gebrüder Thonet — has produced elegant and durable tables and cabinets as well as chairs, stools and other seating that wholly blur the lines between art and design. Widely known as a trailblazer in the use of bentwood in furniture, the European manufacturer has reimagined the places in which we gather.
Noted for his skill in parquetry, German-Austrian company founder Michael Thonet received an invitation from Austrian Chancellor Prince Metternich to contribute Neo-Rococo interiors to the Liechtenstein City Palace in Vienna. The Boppard-born Thonet had honed his carpentry skills in his father’s workshop, where he carried out experiments with plywood and modified the Biedermeier chairs that populated the studio.
Thonet’s work for the chancellor raised his profile, and the cabinetmaker gained international recognition, including at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, which featured works created by members of the Arts and Crafts movement as well as industrial products of the day. Thonet showed a range of furniture at the fair and won the bronze medal for his bentwood chairs. He incorporated his family’s company, the Thonet Brothers, with his sons in 1853.
Bentwood furniture dates as far back as the Middle Ages, but it is the 19th-century cabinetmaker Thonet who is most often associated with this now-classic technique. Thonet in 1856 patented a method for bending solid wood through the use of steam, and from there, the bentwood look skyrocketed to furniture fame. The works of renowned mid-century modern designers such as Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, and Charles and Ray Eames that put this technological advancement to use would not be as extensive or celebrated were it not for the efforts of the pioneering Thonet.
Considered the world’s oldest mass-produced chair, Michael Thonet’s ubiquitous Chair No. 14 demonstrated that his patented bentwood technology made it possible to efficiently produce furniture on an industrial scale. Now known as the 214, it won the German Sustainability Award Design for 2021, a recognition of the company’s commitment to environmentally responsible production.
Often called the Coffee House chair — the company’s first substantial order was for a Viennese coffeehouse — the No. 14 remains an icon. Thonet originally designed the chair in 1859, and it is considered the starting point for modern furniture.
The bentwood process opened doors — there were investments in machinery and new industrial processes, and the business began mass-producing furniture. By the end of the 1850s, there were additional Thonet workshops in Eastern Europe and hundreds of employees. Michael Thonet’s reputation attracted the attention of notable architects including Otto Wagner, Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
The No. 14 was followed by the No. 18, or the Bistro chair, in 1867, and the 209, or the Architect’s chair, of which Le Corbusier was a fan. (The influential Swiss-French architect and designer used Thonet furniture in his Pavillon de l’Esprit Nouveau at the 1925 International Exposition of Decorative Arts in Paris.)
Thonet’s chair designs also appeared in artwork by Toulouse-Lautrec, John Sloan and Henri Matisse in his Interior with a Violin Case. The noteworthy Thonet rocking chair remains a marvel of construction — in the middle of the 19th century, Michael produced a series of rockers in which the different curved parts were integrated into fluid, sinuous wholes. Thanks to Thonet, the humble rocker acquired something unexpected: style. It was captured in the paintings of Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and James Tissot.
Thonet is currently split into global divisions. Thonet Industries U.S.A. was acquired in 1987 by Shelby Williams and joined the CF Group in 1999, while the Thonet brand in Germany is owned by Thonet GmbH.
Find a collection of antique Thonet furniture on 1stDibs.
- Bentwood Side Chair By Norman Cherner For PlycraftBy Plycraft, Norman ChernerLocated in Brooklyn, NYMid-century modern, ply bentwood, side chair by Norman Cherner for Plycraft in a dark walnut finish. This iconic mid-century modern chair that is striking from every angle can be use...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsBentwood, Plywood
- Scandinavian Modern Bentwood And Chrome Side ChairBy Arne JacobsenLocated in Brooklyn, NYScandinavian modern, bentwood side chair in the style of Arne Jacobsen features a curvaceous, steam bent wood seat with chrome legs. A wonderful desk, dining or accent chair.Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Upholstered Scoop Bentwood Armchair By ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Brooklyn, NYRare, mid-century modern, walnut bentwood armchair by Thonet features a curvaceous profile with the back and seat made from a single piece of bent walnut. The segmented yellow tweed ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Bentwood Bakelite Stacking Stool by ThonetBy Alvar Aalto, ThonetLocated in Brooklyn, NYClassic, art deco, stackable stool by Thonet features bentwood legs with a black, 14 inch diameter, hard plastic, Bakelite top.Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Art Deco Stools
MaterialsBirch, Bakelite
- Italian Modernist Circular Bentwood And Cane Dining Chairs Set Of 6By Bruno ReyLocated in Brooklyn, NYSet of six, Italian modernist dining chairs feature circular, lipstick red stained beech frames with natural caned seats. This is a set of six chairs, five are shown.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Beech
- T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings Ladder Back Side ChairBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Brooklyn, NYMid-Century Modern, side chair by T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings for Widdicomb features a walnut, ladder back frame with upholstered seat in mocha tweed. A great mid century modern chair for...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Thonet Side ChairBy ThonetLocated in Vienna, ATBeech bentwood frame with upholsterd seat. Manufactured by Thonet in Austria about 1880.Category
Antique 1880s Austrian Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
$890 - Set of 7 Thonet Bentwood Caned Dining ChairsBy ThonetLocated in New York, NYSET of 7 Antique Bentwood dining chairs with steam bent ebonized wooden frames with caned seats and backs, resting on four gently curved...Category
20th Century Post-Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsWood, Ash
$16,800 / set - Pair of Thonet Black Lacquered Bentwood Armchairs with Upholstered Seats, 1940sBy ThonetLocated in San Francisco, CAA very dapper pair of uncommon 1940s Thonet bentwood birch armchairs with freshly redone black lacquered finish and white upholstery. Handsomely crafted frame of flat bentwood ele...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Birch, Bentwood
- S 32 Cantilever Thonet Side ChairBy Thonet, Mart StamLocated in Pasadena, TXS 32 Cantilever Thonet side chair S 32 Cantilever chair combines the tubular steel frame with leather upholstered seat and backrest for comfort. Price for 1...Category
Late 20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and De...
MaterialsChrome
$1,000 / item - Classic Set of 6 Bentwood Cafe Dining Chairs, Attributed to ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Buffalo, NYClassic set of 6 bentwood cafe dining chairs attributed to Thonet, recently reupholstered in a leopard print fabric, set consists of 4 matching chair...Category
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Bentwood
- Midcentury Thonet Bentwood Upholstered ChairBy ThonetLocated in Doylestown, PAMidcentury Thonet bentwood upholstered chair. Single chair with Classic midcentury design with bentwood base. Neutral cream Naugah...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsNaugahyde, Wood, Bentwood