Thonet by Norman Foster A901 PF Silver and Black Leather Dining Chairs
View Similar Items
Thonet by Norman Foster A901 PF Silver and Black Leather Dining Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer),Sir Norman Foster (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 21.66 in (55 cm)Depth: 21.26 in (54 cm)Seat Height: 18.12 in (46 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:1999
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Refurbished metal frames and original leather. Indents in leather seats where chairs have been stacked and some scuffs/marks.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: 0C000101stDibs: LU4510224385182
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.
- B&B Italia by Antonio Citterio Luta White and Red Leather Swivel Dining ChairsBy Antonio Citterio, B&B ItaliaLocated in London, GBDesigned by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia in 2000, the Luta dining chair has become an iconic design for the brand. Constructed from a light steel mesh sprayed in white, the cha...Category
Early 2000s Italian Swivel Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Fritz Hansen by Arne Jacobsen Black Leather Model 3110 Drop Dining Chairs, Set10By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, the drop chair was relaunched by Fritz Hansen in 2014. Said to be Jacobsen’s favourite chair desig...Category
2010s Danish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather
$2,954 Sale Price / set20% Off - Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Black Leather Model 3273 Oxford Office ChairBy Arne Jacobsen, Fritz HansenLocated in London, GBArne Jacobsen was commissioned to design St. Catherine's College in Oxford in 1963, which included the furniture and surrounding landscape. Seen as one of his most outstanding projec...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs an...
MaterialsLeather
$1,711 Sale Price20% Off - Brno Black Fabric Tubular Dining Chairs by Knoll, Set of 2By Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1930 for his House in Brno, Czech Republic, the Brno chair remains a design icon. Sleek and simple, these cantilever chairs are uphols...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA Black Leather Sabrina Dining Chairs, 1970s, Set of 4By RIMA, Gastone RinaldiLocated in London, GBRIMA was founded in 1920, specialising in manufacturing metal furniture and Gastone Rinaldi took over the company from his father in 1948 becoming the designer. Many of his designs r...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Futurist Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$1,765 Sale Price / set30% Off - Hans J. Wegner Teak & Black Leather CH29P Sawbuck Dining Chairs, 1960s, Set of 2By Carl Hansen & Søn, Hans J. WegnerLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1952, the CH29P Sawbuck Chair was manufactured by Carl Hansen & Son until the 1970s and was then reissued again 20 years later. Inspired by ...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
$1,120 Sale Price / set20% Off
- Rare Blac Secession Thonet ChairBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKVery rare blac secession Thonet chair.Category
Vintage 1910s Vienna Secession Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Bentwood
- Scriba Contemporary Oak and Black Leather Dining ChairBy ACOOCOOROLocated in Mexico City, MXScriba is a seemingly simple, delicate dining or desk chair; made by traditional Japanese wood joinery, and artisanal saddlery: two disciplines where texture, craftsmanship, and the ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Emeco 20-06 Stacking Chair in Brushed Aluminium by Norman FosterBy Emeco, Sir Norman FosterLocated in Hanover, PAEmeco’s collaboration with Norman Foster resulted in the “20-06” Stacking chair. Foster envisioned a more “neutral” stacking chair-visually and physically lightweight. But the 20-06 ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Scriba Contemporary Oak and Leather Dining ChairBy ACOOCOOROLocated in Mexico City, MXScriba is a seemingly simple, delicate dining or desk chair; made by traditional Japanese wood joinery, and artisanal saddlery: two disciplines where texture, craftsmanship, and the ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
$2,100 / set - Montgomery Solid Wood and Woven Leather Dining Chair by Crump and KwashBy Crump and KwashLocated in Baltimore City, MDMontgomery Dining Chair by Crump and Kwash Hand shaped black oak frame / commercial grade finish / handwoven vegetable tanned black leather seat and back. Ships in 1 -2 weeks.Category
2010s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Six Black Patent Leather and Chrome Thonet Dining ChairsBy Anton Lorenz, ThonetLocated in Dallas, TXSix armchairs designed by Anton Lorenz for Thonet. Each chair has black patent leather upholstered backrest and seat with polished chrome tubular frames, labeled underneath. Mid-C...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsChrome