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 antique Gebrüder Thonet furniture on 1stDibs.
Original and Documented Jugendstil Dressing Table by Otto Prutscher for Thonet
By Otto Prutscher, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Woka Lamps
Located in Vienna, AT
An extremely rare dressing table designed by Otto Prutscher and manufactured at Gebrueder Thonet in 1908. Literature: Innendekoration 1917 as well as a very similar model for the Vil...
Beech
$3,506
H 47.25 in W 33.47 in D 20.48 in L 47.25 in
Birgitta Dressing Table by Carl Malmsten for Bodafors
Located in Genarp, SE
Designed by the celebrated Swedish designer Carl Malmsten and produced by Bodafors, the Birgitta dressing table is a refined example of Scandinavian craftsmanship and timeless design...
Teak
$15,500Sale Price|50% Off
H 37.5 in W 35 in D 22 in
English Mahogany Beau Brummell Gentleman Dressing Desk, Aristocratic Pedigree
By Maple & Co.
Located in Vero Beach, FL
English Mahogany Beau Brummell Gentleman dressing desk. Aristocratic Pedigree. Outstanding example of a rare mechanical piece of furniture of museum quality. The luxurious polished Mahogany desk is raised on four square tapered legs on brass casters. Beautiful proportions give it a regal appearance. This elaborate and ingenious construction is master crafted by the cabinet maker, Maple Company of London. A spring-loaded mechanism lifts the top to reveal a triptych beveled mirror and a spectacular display of a multitude of hallmarked Vermeil silver and cut crystal vanity suites by Charles and Richard Comyns. Every piece is fully hallmarked and engraved with the crown of a count and monogrammed. The desk has it’s original finish, pencil inlay and original brass hardware, like hinges and catches. This statement piece represents the modern concept of glamour and luxury. Maple and Company of London furnished Tsar Nicholas’s Winter Palace and the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna among other Royal Houses. This dressing vanity desk from the turn of the century is from the estate of the American actor and Real Estate millionaire Percy Garnett Williams (1857-1923) Condition: Original antique surface...
Mahogany
$10,912
H 28.55 in Dm 25.79 in
Luigi Massoni Dilly Dally Vanity Table and Chair, Poltrona Frau, Italy, 1960s
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A rare Italian "Dilly Dally" vanity by Luigi Massoni and manufactured by Poltrona Frau Italy in the 1960s. Newly upholstered in off white leatherette. Modular vanity fully upholstere...
Faux Leather
French Pear Wood Ladies Dressing Table. Circa 1820
Located in Charleston, SC
French two drawer pear wood ladies dressing table with fitted interior, pull out leather surface, original folding mirror, and terminating on cab...
Dressing Table No.1134 by Josef Hoffmann for J&J Kohn
By Julius Hoffmann
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Dressing table no.1134 by Josef Hoffmann designed for J&J Kohn for international expo in St.Louis in 1904.
Mirror, Bentwood
Teak Dressing Table by Peter Hayward for Uniflex, 1960s
By Uniflex, Peter Hayward
Located in South Shields, GB
A mid century teak dressing table from Uniflex, circa 1960s There's a triptych mirror, the middle tilts, the two sides swivel Featuring four drawers each with a metal handle Heigh...
Teak
Vintage Dressing Table by Loughborough
Located in London, GB
A stylish and very well made vintage dressing table by Loughborough. This was made in England, and it dates from the 1950’s. The quality is outstanding, this is beautifully designed...
Mirror, Wood
$2,670
H 57.88 in W 32.29 in D 18.12 in
Victorian Bentwood Thonet Style Dressing Table with Marble top
Located in Miami, FL
Beautiful Dressing table in perfect condition, we have cleaned waxed and polished it from top to bottom, there will be normal age and use related patina marks here and there Height...
Bentwood
$8,766
H 29.14 in W 44.49 in D 15.95 in
Vanity / dressing table in Walnut, Brass and glass by Josef Frank, 1950's
By Josef Frank
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Vanity in Walnut, Brass and Mirrored Glass by Josef Frank, 1950's Additional Information: Material: Walnut, brass and mirrored glass Style: Mid century, Scandinavian Produced by Sve...
Walnut
$8,802 / item
H 30 in W 63 in D 35 in
Alice Contemporary and Customizable Dressing Table by Luísa Peixoto
By Luísa Peixoto
Located in PT
Dressing table. Part with 3 drawers. Partridge eye wood "Shell" color and details in gold metal. Leather top and lacquered feet. Bespoke / customizable Identical shapes with differe...
Metal
$9,500
H 29.5 in W 44.5 in D 25.75 in
Important Beau Brummell Regency Period Flame Mahogany Gentleman's Dressing Table
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and spectacular George III period (1760-1820) Beau Brummell gentleman's dressing table. There is no mistaking this remarkably distinctive table's complex design and superb quality, which is certain to attract attention, add interest, and become a conversational talking point wherever you place it. Metamorphic like, the multipurpose piece transforming from a library table or console - vanity - work table - writing desk) Refined elegant sophistication at its finest, born in late 18th / early 19th century at the height of the George III Regency period, also known as the golden age of classical English furniture design. Exquisitely hand-crafted of the finest mahogany, having a rectangular top with warm, rich, highly figured swirl - flame mahogany, contrasting satinwood string banding and intricate cross-banded inlays, covered with an optional later glass top, above a trio of drawers affixed with beautiful gilt brass lion pull hardware, the center drawer opening to reveal a divided interior fitted with numerous compartments, richly grained mahogany veneered lids, and a lovely Worcester porcelain desk set. Above the drawer a pull-out panel with inset green felt functions as both a writing - work surface extension and brushing slide. Flanking the main drawer, a pair of drawers slide-outward and open to reveal brass hinged large panel mirrors that can also be used to double the work surface, when lifted the mirrors can rotate and additional lidded storage compartments are revealed, including a pin cushion for sewing, horse hair bristle brush, and divided slots coin compartment. Having elegant clean lines, simple apron, highest-quality reinforced drawers to support the additional weight and allow them to fully extend, all rising on tapered square legs, terminating in patinated brass capped feet with casters. Dimensions: (approx) 29.5" High, 44.5" Wide, 25.75" Deep (table form) Provenance: From the Collection of Gloria Monnet Nicholson, Tulsa, Oklahoma Acquisition: Acquired from highly reputable auction house Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas. June 2022 Fine Furniture & Decorative Arts Signature Auction #8085 catalog. Who was Beau Brummell: George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (1778–1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter...
Brass
$8,486 / item
H 28 in W 55 in D 21 in
Infinity Contemporary and Customizable Dressing table by Luísa Peixoto
Located in PT
Dressing table in partridge eye in palace color, gold metal feet and lacquer. LELIÈVRE drawers lining. Stool not included. Bespoke / Customizable Identical shapes with different si...
Metal