The development of bentwood for use in furniture is one of history’s most significant innovations in design. A range of renowned mid-century modern designers such as Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, and Charles and Ray Eames drew heavily on this technological advancement, and the success of their enduring works owes to the efforts of pioneering German-Austrian industrialist and designer Michael Thonet — founder of Thonet and widely considered the father of bentwood furniture.
Bentwood furniture dates as far back as the Middle Ages, but it is the 19th-century cabinetmaker and master of parquetry Michael 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. He experimented with bending birch rods into rounded shapes — forming delicately seductive, curving Art Nouveau creations that were a daring departure from the heavy, hand-carved designs attributed to his contemporaries.
The Boppard-born Thonet 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. He received an invitation from Austrian Chancellor Prince Metternich to contribute Neo-Rococo interiors to the Liechtenstein City Palace in Vienna. From there, 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. 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 — or Gebrüder Thonet — with his sons in 1853.
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.
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. Composed of just six parts, the chair, with its simple, lightweight design, belies its durability. 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.)
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.
Thonet’s patented bentwood technology also yielded an improvement to rocking chairs for his company — 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. And bentwood furniture was embraced by a series of design greats — the innovation can be found in the seating that Josef Hoffman designed for Thonet, in the elegant Superleggera chair created by Gio Ponti and Alvar Aalto’s expressive Paimio armchair.
The No. 14 chair earned a gold medal at the 1867 Paris World’s Fair and reportedly sold 50 million copies prior to World War I. Today it’s a staple furnishing in countless movies, television shows, restaurants, bars and homes.
On 1stDibs, find an array of antique Michael Thonet seating, tables and more.
Chair No. 1 by Michael Thonet produced by Gebrüder Thonet Vienna in 1849
By Michael Thonet, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Ravenna, IT
Chair No. 1 designed by Michael Thonet in 1849 and manufactured by the Gebrüder Thonet company of the same name in Vienna. With its light, elegant and sinuous shape, the No. 1 is the...
Wicker, Rattan, Wood, Beech, Bentwood
Thonet Chair HO. 41, 1905s
By Thonet, Michael Thonet
Located in Čelinac, BA
Thonet chair HO 41, restored in good condition. Designed by Michael Thonet.
Plywood
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Thonet Rocking Chair in Steam Bent Beechwood
By Michael Thonet
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Code: FM07 Art Nouveau chair, original from the early '900 , with curved wood frame, new upholstered seat in leather of Siena's earth color. Frame In bent beechwood steam, with th...
Leather, Beech
Michael Thonet N. 14 Bistro Dining Chair, Austria
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Michael Thonet
Located in Miami, FL
Iconic N. 14 Bistro dining chair or side chair designed by Michael Thonet, rendered in black painted beech bentwood frame with a woven wicker cain...
Wicker, Wood, Beech, Bentwood, Paint
Austrian Bentwood Rocking Chair by Michael Thonet, Late 19th Century
By Michael Thonet
Located in Queens, NY
Austrian Bentwood (19th Cent) scroll design rocking chair with embossed leather upholstery. (THONET, Wien)
Bentwood, Leather
Rare Beautiful Thonet High Back Armchair No 6351 , Black, Cane
By Michael Thonet, Thonet
Located in Miami, FL
Original cane and black finish, stamped Thonet. Beautiful lines.
Cane, Wood
Contemporary Bistro Chair No. 18 by TON, Light Beech
By TON a.s., Michael Thonet
Located in Paris, IDF
Chair No. 18 Iconic bistro chair conceived by Michael Thonet in 1869, now produced in the same manufacture in Czech Republic by TON. Wood: solid beech Finish: natural light Seat:...
Beech
Armchait Thonet Nr.14, circa 1870
By Michael Thonet
Located in Praha, CZ
The oldest version of chair No. 14 in almost perfect original condition. Only one armrest has repaired cracks and the string also has a few defects. Otherwise, the chair is remarkabl...
Beech, Bentwood
Art Nouveau Bentwood Chair by Thonet, Austria, 1900s
By Michael Thonet
Located in Antwerp, BE
Produced by Thonet in early 20th century Austria, this bentwood chair illustrates the company’s mastery of steam-bent wood and its contribution to the evolution of modern furniture. ...
Wood
19th century bentwood Thonet table
By Michael Thonet, Thonet
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
19th century bentwood Thonet table professionally stained and repolished.
Beech, Bentwood
Chair Thonet Nr.12, 1881-1887
By Michael Thonet
Located in Praha, CZ
Original state with a pleasant patine of age, perfectly cleaned and re-polished with shelack finish. New seat string.
Bentwood
Contemporary Bistro Chair No. 14 by TON, Light Beech
By Michael Thonet, TON a.s.
Located in Paris, IDF
Chair No. 14 Iconic bistro chair conceived by Michael Thonet in 1869, now produced in the same manufacture in Czech Republic by TON. Wood: solid beech Finish: natural light ...
Beech
$943Sale Price|20% Off
Original 19th Century Thonet Associates Vienna Secession Side Table
By Michael Thonet, Thonet
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Original Antique Thonet Associates Hand-Crafted 19th Century Vienna Secession Side Table With An Attractive Turned Tripod Base With An Irregular Table ...
Elm
Contemporary Bistro Armchair No. 30 by TON, Light Beech
By Michael Thonet, TON a.s.
Located in Paris, IDF
Armchair No. 30 Iconic bistro chair conceived by Michael Thonet in 1869, now produced in the same manufacture in Czech Republic by TON. Wood: solid beech Finish: natural light Se...
Beech
Viennese Footrest Josef Jaworek Nr. 2, circa 1875
By Michael Thonet, Josef Jaworek
Located in Praha, CZ
Manufactured in Austria by the Josef Jaworek Company, which was one of the first competitor of the Gebrüder Thonet Company. Marked with early paper label, which is used before the ye...
Beech, Bentwood
Thonet Rocking Chair, Model Number 71, Vienna, 1910, Signed Thonet Bellow
By Michael Thonet
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Thonet rocking chair, model number 71. Vienna, 1910. Signed Thonet Bellow.
Beech, Bentwood, Rattan
$11,273Sale Price|20% Off
Rocking Chair by Anton Fix and Micheal Thonet, 1850s
By Michael Thonet, Portois & Fix
Located in Milano, IT
Very rare rocking chair made and designed by Micheal Thonet and Anton Fix , circa 1860. The beautiful rocking chair was made with curved woodworking, a techn...
Velvet, Wood
Contemporary Bistro Chair No. 14 by TON, Light Beech and Cane Seat
By Michael Thonet, TON a.s.
Located in Paris, IDF
Chair No. 14 Iconic bistro chair conceived by Michael Thonet in 1869, now produced in the same manufacture in Czech Republic by TON. Wood: solid beech Finish: natural light ...
Beech
Set of 10 Late 19th Century Austrian Thonet Bentwood Cane Dining Chairs
By Michael Thonet
Located in Astoria, NY
A rare set of ten late 19th-century Austrian Thonet Wien Model No. 32 dining chairs, recently sourced from Lyon, France. Renowned for their pioneering bentwood craftsmanship, these e...
Linen, Upholstery, Cane, Beech, Bentwood
$1,691Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of three chairs by Michael Thonet and Art Deco Table
By Michael Thonet
Located in Milano, IT
The chairs in this Thonet set are true masterpieces of craftsmanship, testaments to a time that seems to slip further away with each passing day. These pieces, now almost impossible ...
Wood
Rare Chair Thonet Nr.31 with Shoe Remover
By Michael Thonet
Located in Praha, CZ
Original state with a pleasant patine of age, perfectly cleaned and re-polished with shelack finish. Minor repairs made.
Bentwood
Newspaper Stand Thonet Nr.1, since 1895
By Michael Thonet
Located in Praha, CZ
Good condition, minor repairs have been made, pleasant patine of age. Perfectly cleaned and re-polished with shelack finish.
Beech, Bentwood
$2,935
Thonet dining char no.1
By Thonet, Michael Thonet
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Thonet dining char no.1. Professionally stained and repolished with new handmade rattan seat.
Rattan, Beech, Bentwood
Pair of Michael Thonet Beech & Leather Easy Chairs C. 1930s
By Michael Thonet
Located in Norwalk, CT
This charming pair of lounge chairs were designed by Michael Thonet and produced for Thonet in the early half of the 20th century. The chairs feature elegantly curved frames, most no...
Leather, Beech
Very rare folding easy chair no.1 by Thonet
By Michael Thonet, Thonet
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Very rare folding easy chair no.1 by Thonet professionally stained and repolished with new handmade rattan seat.
Rattan, Beech, Bentwood
Toilet Seat by Fischel, circa 1900
By Michael Thonet, D. G. Fischell
Located in Praha, CZ
Original state with a pleasant patine of age, perfectly cleaned and re-polished with shelack finish.
Beech, Bentwood
Original vintage Thonet design bistro chair with matte seat
By Michael Thonet
Located in Harderwijk, NL
This amazing vintage Thonet design chair fits easily into almost any interior. This timeless chair looks great at both classic and modern dining tables. It is made of wood, has a rat...
Wicker, Wood