Round Thonet Cork Top Coffee Table, circa 1950s
View Similar Items
Round Thonet Cork Top Coffee Table, circa 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Thonet (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.75 in (40.01 cm)Diameter: 30.38 in (77.17 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very nice condition over all, top does have a few scrapes, and stains. Top can be refinish, or painted. More photos on request.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU955019186032
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.
- Monumental 1970s Natural Freeform Wood Round Glass Top Coffee TableLocated in San Francisco, CAOffered here is a monumental in size, circa 1970s natural freeform wooden base with a round glass top coffee table. We believe the base i...Category
Vintage 1970s American Organic Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- Paul Frankl Designed Stepped Coffee Table for Brown SaltmanBy Paul Frankl, Brown SaltmanLocated in San Francisco, CAOffered here is a Paul Frankl designed coffee table for Brown Saltman. Ebonized cerused oak, with glass, table top, and has a step down design, with a shelf below.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGlass, Oak
- 3-Piece Percival Lafer Designed Coffee and End Tables in Jacaranda RosewoodBy Percival LaferLocated in San Francisco, CAOffered is a three piece set of a Percival Lafer designed coffee and end tables in Jacaranda Rosewood, all have their original smoke glass tops. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGlass, Rosewood
- Milo Baughman for Murray Birch and Brass Drop-Leaf Coffee Table, 1953By Milo Baughman, Murray FurnitureLocated in San Francisco, CAA rare 1953 birch and brass drop-leaf coffee table by Milo Baughman for Murray Furniture. Solid birch construction with dynamic figuring throughout, especially notable on a top se...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- California Lamps & Shades Co. Silvered Egyptian Figures Glass Coffee Table, 1951By California Lamps and Shade Co.Located in San Francisco, CAA very uncommon and uniquely stylish 1951 Egyptian Revival-inspired Hollywood Regency figural glass top coffee table by California Lamps...Category
Vintage 1950s American Hollywood Regency Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Silas Seandel-Style Brutalist Coffee Table with Painted and Gilt Finish, 1970sBy Silas SeandelLocated in San Francisco, CAA very striking and uncommon Brutalist steel coffee table done in the manner of Silas Seandel, Marc Creates, or Curtis Jeré, with hand-painted and gilt finish and original glass top....Category
Vintage 1970s American Brutalist Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal, Steel
- Round Coffee Table by ThonetBy August Thonet, ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKRound coffee table by Thonet professionally stained and repolished.Category
Antique Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBentwood
- Paul Frankl, Organic Coffee Table, Cork Top, Mahogany Base, 1950sBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture Co.Located in High Point, NCA very rare cork top coffee table or cocktail table by Paul Frankl for American manufacturer Johnson Furniture Company, circa 1955. The playful cork top features a tear-drop shaped ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMahogany, Cork
- Round Cork Coffee TableLocated in North Hollywood, CARound cork coffee table with solid mahogany legs newly made in the style of Paul FranklCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsCork
$5,950 - Paul Frankl, Coffee Table, Cork, Mahogany, USA, 1950sBy Johnson Furniture Company, Paul FranklLocated in High Point, NCA mahogany and beige-lacquered cork coffee table designed by Paul Frankl and produced by Johnson Furniture Company, USA, 1950sCategory
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMahogany, Cork
- Italian Round Coffee Table, 1950sLocated in Palermo, PAItalian round coffee table, 1950s. Dimensions: H= 52 cm; D= 60 cm.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Thonet Coffee TableBy ThonetLocated in Banská Štiavnica, SKBentwood coffee table by Thonet in original vintage condition, wears slight scratches on the top.Category
Vintage 1910s Czech Vienna Secession Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBentwood