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Michael Thonet Corner Chairs

Austrian, German, 1796-1871

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.

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Creator: Michael Thonet
Thonet Chair Model 47, by Michael Thonet for Thonet, circa 1911
By Michael Thonet
Located in Dusseldorf, DE
Rare very early model 47 chair from Thonet with a bent beechwood frame and beautiful perforated seat detailing, circa 1911. Design by Michael Thonet. ...
Category

Early 20th Century Czech Other Michael Thonet Corner Chairs

Materials

Bentwood, Beech

Rocking Chair by Anton Fix and Micheal Thonet, 1850s
By Portois & Fix, Michael Thonet
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...
Category

1860s Austrian Baroque Antique Michael Thonet Corner Chairs

Materials

Velvet, Wood

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Rocking chair Thonet Nr.10, 1880ca
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First Wood and Metal Chair, by Michele De Lucchi for Memphis Milano Collection
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The First chair in enameled wood and metal, was originally designed in 1983 by Michele De Lucchi. Michele De Lucchi was born in 1951 in Ferrara and graduated in architecture in Florence. During the period of radical and experimental architecture he was a prominent figure in movements like Cavart, Alchymia and Memphis. His architectural designs have been mainly for office buildings in Japan, in Germany, in Switzerland and in Italy. He has taken care of numerous art and design exhibitions and has planned buildings for museums as Triennale di Milano, Palazzo delle Esposizioni di Roma and Neues Museum...
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Chainmail Chair by Panorammma
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H 47.25 in W 23.63 in D 23.63 in
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Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Brown Bentwood Rocking Chair, 1950s. Boho styled elegant and romantic rocking chair in the style of Michael Thonet. Steam bent stained beech. Seat in cane french braid. ...
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Mid-20th Century Romanian Bohemian Michael Thonet Corner Chairs

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Vintage Brown Bentwood Rocking Chair, 1950s
Vintage Brown Bentwood Rocking Chair, 1950s
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Waldo Chair by Pietro Franceschini
Waldo Chair by Pietro Franceschini
H 36.62 in W 23.63 in D 37.01 in

Michael Thonet corner chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Michael Thonet corner chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Michael Thonet corner chairs, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original corner chairs by Michael Thonet were created in the Baroque style in europe during the early 20th century. Prices for Michael Thonet corner chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $690 and can go as high as $13,352, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,021.

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