Pair of 1970s Tubular Chromed Sling Chairs, Space Age, Thonet
View Similar Items
Pair of 1970s Tubular Chromed Sling Chairs, Space Age, Thonet
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 28 in (71.12 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Space Age (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Buffalo, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU106241306662
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.
- Modernist Space Age 1970s Polished Chrome Sling Lounge ChairBy Milo BaughmanLocated in Buffalo, NYModernist Space Age 1970s polished chrome sling lounge chair, amazing design, Classic 1960s.. 1970s styling, exceptional quality and construc...Category
Vintage 1970s American Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- 1970s Italian Tubular Chrome "Z" Lounge Chairs Attributed to Harvey GuzziniBy Harvey GuzziniLocated in Buffalo, NYHarvey Guzzini, Italy attribution, 1970s pop modernist, Space Age lounge chairs, Classic design, extremely comfortable, retain original rich coral color wool fabric, hand delivery av...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Lightolier Chrome Tube Sconces, 1970s Space Age, AtomicBy LightolierLocated in Buffalo, NYGreat pair of chromed tube sconces, Swiss made for Lightolier. Rare eight-bulb configuration, very atomic, Space Age design.Category
Mid-20th Century Swiss Space Age Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsChrome
- Rare Space Age, Modernist Chromed Steel Lounge Chair by Plato Ginello, ItalyBy Plato Design, Davis FurnitureLocated in Buffalo, NYRare Space Age, modernist chromed steel lounge chair by Plato Ginello, Italy. Truly amazing sculptural, architectural design. Superior quality and constr...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel, Chrome
- Matched Pair Space Age Modernist Lounge Chairs, Peter Protzmann/ Herman MillerBy Peter Protzmann, Herman MillerLocated in Buffalo, NYUnusual pair low slung slipper lounge chairs attributed to Peter Protzmann for Herman Miller.. Amazing original condition. Superior quality and construction. Retains its original Kno...Category
Vintage 1970s American Space Age Slipper Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Art Deco Tubular Chrome Lounge Chairs, K E M Weber, LloydBy Kem WeberLocated in Buffalo, NYPair of Art Deco tubular chrome lounge chairs designed by K E M Weber for Lloyd Manufacturing Co., Classic streamline design. Extremel...Category
20th Century American Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Black Leather Space Age Swivel Chair, 1970sLocated in Hilversum, NLStunning swivel lounge chair in white fiberglass with aluminum base and original black leather cover.Category
Vintage 1970s Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fiberglass
- Space Age Lounge Chair in Natural Leather, 1970sLocated in Hilversum, NLVery cool Space Age chair finished in brown natural leather. The folding surfaces ensure that the chair can be used in different settings. And gives the chair a completely different ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Pair of Lounge Chairs, Black Leather Chrome, Attributed to Thonet, 1970By ThonetLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA set of two leather and chrome or nickel lounge chairs attributed to Thonet, Austria, circa 1970 (late 1960s or early 1970s). They are made of a high quality and thick black leather...Category
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Space Age Sculptural Vintage Lavender Fabric Lounge Chair 1970sLocated in Vienna, ATSpace Age sculptural vintage lounge chair covered with lavender textile fabric. An amazing freestanding lounge chair in curvy shape with a wonderful and comfortable seat and back, wh...Category
Late 20th Century European Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic, Foam
- Space age leather lounge chair by Airborne international, 1970sLocated in HEVERLEE, BEStriking space age lounge chair by Airborne international. The chair consists of a white fiberglass shell upholstered with brown butonned leather. It sits as comfortable as it look...Category
Vintage 1970s French Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fiberglass
- Pair of Lounge Chairs Tubular Chrome Lounge Chairs by Dunbar Dux, c. 1970sLocated in Deland, FLConstructed from tubular chrome. The seats are found in a camel micro suede fabric. 1970s. ---Dimensions--- Width: 24.5 in / 62.23 cm Depth: 28 in / 71.12 cm Height: 34 in / 86.36 c...Category
Vintage 1970s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome