Bentwood Dining Room Sets

The Hat Trick dining set, designed by Frank Gehry for Knoll International, showcases the architect's signature playful and organic aesthetic. Characterized by its unique geometrical ...

No. 17 dining set in bentwood and cane 'long john' chairs and table designed by Michael Thonet. Originally designed in the 1860s and produced by Thonet in the 20th century by multiple factories. Size: chairs: 57x49x96.5 seat height 46 Arm height 67 centimeter table: ø85.5 height 75 centimeter Condition: used. The lacquer has worn out on many places. The stained beech wood has discoloration. The cane in two seats is damaged. The cane in one back is damaged. One arm has a crack in a curve. Some small wood details are missing. The cane can be repaired or replaced professionally on request. Michael Thonet The development of bentwood for use in furniture is one of history’s most significant innovations in design. A range of renowned mid-century modern designers such as Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, and Charles and Ray Eames drew heavily on this technological advancement, and the success of their enduring works owes to the efforts of pioneering German-Austrian industrialist and designer Michael Thonet — founder of Thonet and widely considered the father of bentwood furniture. Bentwood furniture dates as far back as the Middle Ages, but it is the 19th-century cabinetmaker and master of parquetry Michael 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. He experimented with bending birch rods into rounded shapes — forming delicately seductive, curving Art Nouveau creations that were a daring departure from the heavy, hand-carved designs attributed to his contemporaries. The Boppard-born Thonet 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. He received an invitation from Austrian Chancellor Prince Metternich to contribute Neo-Rococo interiors to the Liechtenstein City Palace in Vienna. From there, 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. 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 — or Gebrüder Thonet — with his sons in 1853. 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. 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. Composed of just six parts, the chair, with its simple, lightweight design, belies its durability. 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.) 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. Thonet’s patented bentwood technology also yielded an improvement to rocking chairs for his company — 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. And bentwood furniture was embraced by a series of design greats — the innovation can be found in the seating that Josef Hoffman designed for Thonet, in the elegant Superleggera chair created by Gio Ponti and Alvar Aalto’s expressive Paimio armchair...

Very Rare Mid Century Modern Dining Room Set designed by Carlo Ratti, for Industria Legni Curvati, Italy 1950 's. Four terrific curved bentwood chairs...

Josef Hoffmann Pedestal Fledermaus Table and 2 Chairs by Wittmann Art Deco styling. Bentwood Chairs upholstered back and seat. Table and Chairs are stamped "Hoffman made by Wittmann ...

Art deco dining room set made by Art deco walnut table with refined briar root top and four Thonet chairs "model Long John". All pieces have been restored by our professional ebani...

Nice bentwood design. These are limited production pieces made to order. Original condition showing minor wear with a nice patina consistent with age. The table size is 29"h x 36"w. ...

A bentwood table and four chairs designed by Czech architect Jan Bočan for the Czechoslovak Embassy in Stockholm. Designed in 1970 by Jan Bočan, Jan Šrámek, Zdenka Rothbauer and Jiř...

Amazing original large suite of Aalto. Beautiful patina. Fun color assortment. Set includes two tables and six chairs. Black table measures H28.25" W48" D30" Blue table measures H28....

Magnificent and ultra sleek Danish Series 8000 dining set designed by Rud Thygesen and Johnny Sorensen for Magnus Olesen circa 1980s. This design is sooooooo amazing with perfect be...

Vintage Table Dimensions: 42" D x 28.5" H. Chair Dimensions: 34.5" D x 15" H. View in person at our Atwater Village location.

Rare set of four Erik Magnussen yoga chairs and a yoga dining table manufactured by Kevi in the 1970’s. The chairs and table are designed for Bernadotte Sk...

Vintage McGuire dining set, six cracked ice dining chairs and 60” dining table, rattan and bamboo and raw hide The table was designed by L...