Set of Four 1980s Thonet Bentwood Bar Stools
View Similar Items
Set of Four 1980s Thonet Bentwood Bar Stools
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)Diameter: 14.25 in (36.2 cm)Length: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)Seat Height: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1980-1989
- Condition:Excellent vintage condition; professionally cleaned.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1645210157633
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.
- Pair of Kurt Østervig Bar Stools for Brande MøbelindustriBy Kurt Østervig, Brande MøbelindustriLocated in Los Angeles, CAPair of teak stools by Danish born designer Kurt Østervig for Brande Mobelindustri, c.1960s, Denmark. The stools feature a round seat and curved seat back. Each stool has four long s...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBrass
- Frederick Weinberg Style Modernist Wire Bar StoolBy Frederic WeinbergLocated in Los Angeles, CAA modernist bar stool with a slender profile in bent, powder-coated metal. The stool has four angled legs, encircled by a support bar and footrest. The feet are capped with rubber ti...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal
- Hawk & Stone Claro Walnut Milking StoolLocated in Los Angeles, CAHand turned claro walnut milking stool by contemporary Los Angeles designer, David O'Brien of Hawk & Stone. David's appreciation for nature and wood...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
MaterialsWalnut
- Oak Tripod Milking StoolLocated in Los Angeles, CAPatinated wooden tripod milking stool. The stool features a thick hand carved rounded seat with visible growth rings, that sits atop three turned ...Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsOak
$1,200 - Teak Tripod Milking StoolBy Arne Hovmand-OlsenLocated in Los Angeles, CATeak tripod milking stool. The stool features a thick hand carved rounded seat that sits atop three teak turned legs with stretchers. Dimensions ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsTeak
- Round Boucle Upholstered StoolLocated in Los Angeles, CARound stool features a newly upholstered seat in a knubby white boucle upholstery. The seat is set upon a walnut x base supported by four tapered legs. They are functional as a stool...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsWalnut, Bouclé
- Four Thonet Style Bentwood Tall Kitchen Bar Stools with Elegant Frames 4By ThonetLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer for sale this set of four vintage Thonet style bentwood bar stools. They very good looking and really quite comfortable, the timber grain and patina is q...Category
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBentwood
$1,273 Sale Price / set20% Off - Vintage 1980s Chrome Bar Stools by Anton Lorenz for ThonetBy Anton Lorenz, ThonetLocated in San Antonio, TXDesigned by Anton Lorenz for Thonet, this beautiful pair of chrome bar stools feature Chiseled in Travertine upholstery by Knoll textiles, creating a unique and timeless design. Both...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Stools Bentwood Attributed to Thonet, Set of 3By ThonetLocated in Parkesburg, PAMidcentury design, with bentwood leg center brace support lower foot rest. Back legs extend up through the curved contoured back rest. Attributed to Thonet made in...Category
Mid-20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBentwood
- Lovely Pair of Bentwood Thonet Bar Stools + Cast Iron Cocktail Bar Top TableBy ThonetLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer for sale this lovely pair of Thonet Bentwood bar stools with tall cast iron bar table with gallery rail. A good lookin...Category
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsIron
$2,540 Sale Price / set30% Off - Set of Four '4' Bar Height Bar Stools Attributed to Maitland-Smith, C. 1980sBy Maitland SmithLocated in Deland, FLAs stylish as they are grand in stature these truly one of a kind barstools are the embodiment of Exotic Luxury. With seats made from thick-cut genuine leather, elegantly sculpted frames made of solid brass and intricately wrapped in worn fishing ropes this extraordinary stool set could be at home on an African Safari or poolside in the Hollywood Hills. Attributed to the Maitland-Smith Furniture Company, a name that is synonymous with luxury and artisanship, these stools were built to withstand the test of time and use. Audacious in their shape and Scope these stools are ideal for designers and collectors alike searching for a character-rich accent piece that can make a BOLD statement through graceful, almost organic form. Truly the perfect amalgamation of luxury and ruggedness this unique set won't last long. Make it yours today. ---Dimensions--- Width: 18.5 in / 46.99 cm Depth: 20 in / 50.8 cm Height: 42.5 in / 107.95 cm Seat Height: 30.5 in / 77.47 cm Condition Details: This extraordinary set of barstools is in 100% original, vintage condition and has aged to perfection! The genuine leather shows only minor signs of vintage wear such as light areas of discoloration as well as minor nicks (which can be seen in the detail photos provided). The rope that twines around the frames shows only minor signs of wear such as small areas of discoloration and minor fraying (shown in detail photos provided) and the solid brass footrests show a perfect patina that only adds to rich character of these unique barstools...Category
Vintage 1980s Philippine Campaign Stools
MaterialsBrass
- 1980's Anton Lorenz for Thonet Black and Chrome Cantilever Bar Stools, Set of 3By Anton Lorenz, ThonetLocated in Doylestown, PALater edition cantilever chrome bar stools designed by Anton Lorenz for Thonet in 1929. Stools feature black faux leather upholstered seat and backrest with chrome-plated tubular st...Category
Late 20th Century North American Bauhaus Stools
MaterialsChrome