GEBRÜDER THONET, 1900
Object
Thonet’s No. 14 Chair was designed by Michael Thonet in 1859 and was a truly revolutionary object. It was the first chair to be mass-produced in a factory, in staggering numbers for its time, and is considered the first piece of industrial design.
Designed in 1859, the famous bistro chair was made from 6 pieces of bent wood, 10 screws, and two nuts. It was factory-produced according to organizational principles that allowed for the production of hundreds of chairs in a single day, and its efficiency kept prices very low.
Adored by modernist architects of the 1920s, especially Le Corbusier, the No. 14 and other Thonet chairs had an aesthetic determined by function and the economical use of bent wood, with nothing superfluous. It was the first object designed to meet industrial needs before decorative ones, principles that made it a must-have among the radical young architects of the time.
A Brief History of the No. 14 Chair
The story of the No. 14 chair begins in the 1850s when cabinetmaker Michael Thonet experimented with wood-bending techniques and perfected a method that allowed him to create wooden furniture more efficiently and economically.
After many challenges, detailed in Christopher Wilk’s excellent book Thonet: 150 Years of Furniture, Michael Thonet founded a company with his sons in 1853, Gebrüder Thonet, to produce bentwood furniture.
A few years later, the Thonets introduced the No. 14 chair, which would propel their company to unprecedented success.
In 1875, the Thonets manufactured 620,000 units of the No. 14 chair, an extraordinary achievement for the time. The No. 14 became the quintessential chair of any Viennese bistro, but its influence extended far beyond. Among the many milestones of the Thonet company was its status as an international business, with branches, stores, and networks of agents spread across Europe and eventually the United States. The No. 14 was shipped disassembled, optimizing space and allowing it to reach cities all over Europe.
The Production of the No. 14 Today
The production of the No. 14 chair has never been discontinued by Thonet, and over 150 years later, it is still being made in their European factories. Today, Thonet is not a single company; after World War II, several different companies were formed, which continue to coexist in Europe. Although they operate under different names, with slightly varied production methods and designs, the No. 14 chair remains highly valued, particularly as a chair for bars and restaurants, as well as by many design enthusiasts who purchase it for their private homes.
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Details
Thonet
Dimensions of Thonet No. 14 Chair:
Seat and backrest in woven rattan cane or with leather or fabric covering.
Seat in anatomically shaped plywood..
Elements in stained beech.
