80s Chair Freischwiner Thonet 96 Chrome Armrest Chair Mesh Design
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 23.63 in (60 cm)Depth: 22.84 in (58 cm)Seat Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Neuenkirchen, DE
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Schwaförden, Germany
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 5x 80s chair chairs cantilever armchair Plurima Italy designLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI5x 80s chair chairs cantilever armchair Plurima Italy design Object: 5x armrest chairs Manufacturer: Plurima, Italy Condition: good - vintage Age: aroun...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- 80s Grand Repos armchair Easy Chair Jean Prouve for Tecta Germany DesignBy Jean ProuvéLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI80s Grand Repos armchair Easy Chair Jean Prouve for Tecta Germany Design Object: armchair Manufacturer: Tecta Condition: good - vintage Age: around 1980 Dimensions: Width = 63....Category
Vintage 1980s German Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- 50s-60s Chair Chairs Frankfurt Chair Bauhaus Mid Century DesignLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI4x 50s 60s chair chairs Frankfurt chair Bauhaus mid century Design 50s Object: 4x chair Manufacturer: Condition: good Age: around 1950-1960 D...Category
Vintage 1960s German Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 2x 70s Chairs Dining Chair Danish Upholstered Chair Mid Century DesignLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI2x 70s chairs dining chair Danish upholstered chair mid century design Object: 2x chair Manufacturer: Condition: good Age: around 1960-1970 Di...Category
Vintage 1970s European Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- 4x 50s 60s chair chairs Frankfurt chair Bauhaus Mid Century DesignLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI4x 50s 60s chair chairs Frankfurt chair Bauhaus Mid Century Design 50s Object: 4x chair Manufacturer: Condition: good Age: around 1950-1960 Dimensions:...Category
Vintage 1960s German Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 6x 60s 70s Chairs Dining Chairs Danish Design 60sLocated in Neuenkirchen, NI6x 60s 70s chairs chair dining chair dining chairs Danish Design 60s Object: 6x chair Manufacturer: Condition: good - vintage Age: around 1960-19...Category
Vintage 1970s German Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Thonet Austrian Curved Wood Armrests Chair, 1920sBy ThonetLocated in Puglia, PugliaThonet Austrian arm chair, c. 1900/1920, In curved beech wood, the upholstery has been redone in ivory velvet and the wooden parts have been polished wi...Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Nouveau Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
- Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH N.0 Single Armrest Black Chair in Mesh BackrestBy Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Front DesignLocated in Brooklyn, NYThe N.0 chair by Front is a design that reveals a new concept of elegance that harnesses the expressive power of GTV’s distinctive hallmarks: bentwood and Vienna straw. The Swedish duo reinterpret the two elements with a contemporary flair, enhancing their features and aesthetics by using the circle as a geometric motif in the backrest, seat and armrest. This feminine, eclectic chair...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- 80s Arrben ''Canasta'' Chairs in Chrome Steel and LeatherBy ArrbenLocated in Madrid, ES''canasta'' easy chairs in metal and black leather by Arrben. Italy, 80´s. 4 units available.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Group Four Chairs 70s-80s YearsBy Non-Standard Furniture and LightingLocated in Milano, ITGroup of 4 chairs made of stained beech wood, the seat has 'foam padding and the upholstery is leatherette. Good conditions.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Mid-Century Modern Thonet Style Chrome Frame Rocking ChairBy ThonetLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis sleek modern rocking chair features a tufted vinyl seat with stylish chrome frame. Mounted wooden rockers ensure a fluid rocking motion, while padde...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Metal, Steel
- Mart Stam Cognac Leather and Chrome Dining Chairs for ThonetBy Thonet, Mart StamLocated in Atlanta, GASet of four Cantilevered Cognac leather and chrome dining chairs, designed by Mart Stam for Thonet, circa 1970s. They retain their war...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal