Thonet Dining Chairs
View Similar Items
Thonet Dining Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 17.25 in (43.82 cm)Depth: 21.25 in (53.98 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960-1970
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Oak Harbor, OH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU97202976482
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.
- Bertu Dining Chair, Dunes Outdoor Dining ChairBy Bertu FurnitureLocated in Oak Harbor, OHBertu Dining Chair, Dunes Outdoor Dining Chair This Modern Patio Furniture - The Dunes Outdoor Dining Chair is beautifully constructed from solid wood in Ohio, USA. This silhouette ...Category
2010s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood, Mahogany, Walnut
$1,500 / item - Bertu Dining Chairs, Modern Dining Chair, Wood, ChileBy Bertu FurnitureLocated in Oak Harbor, OHBertu Dining Chairs, Modern Dining Chair, Wood, Chile This Chile Modern Wood Dining Chair is beautifully constructed from solid wood in Ohio...Category
2010s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood, Oak, Walnut
- Peabody Modern Dining ChairsBy Lawrence Peabody, Craft AssociatesLocated in Oak Harbor, OHLawrence Peabody modern white dining chairs for Craft Associates furniture These Lawrence Peabody modern white dining chairs for Craft Associates furniture are expertly handcrafted and upholstered. These Peabody chairs are licensed reintroductions for Craft Associates. These chairs are solid maple with each frame hand steamed and bent. The price includes our standard leather or fabric seat. The wood is finished with a beautiful matte lacquer in white. Craft Associates furniture is proud each modern piece is made in the US. We strive to craft a product that will stand the test of time. We use the best materials and have the best craftsman and upholstery in the business. We stand 100% behind our product. "The U.S. would profit by the example of the Danes, whose great work in furniture design is the result of combining proficient craftsmanship, fine design and technical skill. The Danes do more than sell arts and crafts in their distinguished work, they sell Denmark." - Lawrence Peabody, 1957 Designer: Lawrence Peabody Manufacturer: Craft Associates furniture Period/Model: Mid-Century Modern Specs: Maple, leather or fabric History: Lawrence “Larry” Peabody (1924-2002) was an architect, interior designer and furniture designer. As an American born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, his distinctive design were often influenced by his Scandinavian roots. Lawrence studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark and at the Rhode Island School of Design. His early career with Selig Mfg. Co. was prolific and helped put both himself and Selig on the map for modern furniture. He then started Lawrence Peabody & Associates in 1955, a design firm in Boston which included a vast client list (Sears, Roebuck & Co., Kohler, Regal Rugs, Boyd Lighting, Chapman Lamps, and Richardson Brothers). In 1961, Mr. Peabody won a Citation for Merit for his Peabody collection for Richardson/ Nemschoff. Winner of the 1962 International A.I.D. design award for his wood frame rattan cradle...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMaple
$2,675 / item - CraftAssociates Dining Chairs, Modern Upholstered Dining Chairs, Barricas, OakBy Craft Associates, Laura TrenchardLocated in Oak Harbor, OHModern Upholstered Dining Chairs, Barricas, Oak These Modern Upholstered Dining Chairs are part of the "Barricas Series" for Craft ...Category
2010s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- CraftAssociates Dining Chairs, Modern Dining Chairs, 1901, White LeatherBy Craft Associates, Laura TrenchardLocated in Oak Harbor, OHCraftAssociates Dining Chairs, Modern Dining Chairs, 1901, White Leather These modern dining chairs, 1901 for Craft Associates Furniture in white leather are expertly handcrafted. E...Category
2010s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Ziricote
- CraftAssociates Dining Chairs, Derby Modern Dining Chairs, Walnut, Brown LeatherBy Craft AssociatesLocated in Oak Harbor, OHCraftAssociates Dining Chairs, Derby Modern Dining Chairs, Walnut, Brown Leather These modern walnut dining chairs by Lawrence Peabody : The Derby Modern Dining Chair for Craft Asso...Category
2010s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood, Walnut
- Dining Chair/Thonet, 1880sBy ThonetLocated in Praha, CZ- Made in Wien - Made of bentwood, beechwood - Restored - Labeled - Good condition.Category
Antique 1880s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBentwood, Beech
- Upholstered Dining Chair by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Brooklyn, NYElegant dining chair by Thonet featuring bentwood legs and cream leather upholsteryCategory
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Bentwood
- Secession Dining Chairs by ThonetBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKSecession bentwood Thonet dining chairs. Professionally stained and repolished with new handmade rattan seats.Category
Vintage 1910s Slovak Vienna Secession Chairs
MaterialsRattan, Bentwood
$1,209 / set - Set of Four Dining Chairs or Thonet, 1960sBy ThonetLocated in Praha, CZ- Made in Czechoslovakia - Made of beechwood - Presented on the exhibition Expo 58 in Brussel - Good, original condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
$1,814 / set - Set of Four Dining Chairs/ Thon 'Thonet', 1970sBy ThonetLocated in Praha, CZ- Made in Czechoslovakia - Made of wood, fabric - New upholstery - Solid - Wooden parts has some signs use - Good, original condition.Category
Vintage 1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 1 Mid Century Thonet Bentwood Dining Chair 12 availableBy ThonetLocated in Pasadena, TXOne Thonet Bentwood Dining Chairs 1970s Rare oak bentwood dining chairs in a colorful upholstery. We have 12 available See similar chair in ...Category
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak