In the 1830s, thonet began trying to make furniture out of glued and bent wooden slats. Following a carpenters apprenticeship, thonet set himself up as an independent cabinetmaker in 1819. Furniture congress 15 october 2016 from the book baukastanmobel that he. So this week i thought i would touch on the work of thonet, one of the most recognized chair designers in history. It was a veritable milestone in the history of furniture production. The list includes books on furniture designed by artists donald judd and architects eero saarinen as well systems produced by companies like knoll and herman miller.
A look at its graphic design history book by lilo schafer. Identifying the age of thonet chairs and other thonet. Jun 11, 2014 twenty books on furniture design covering topics from classical chinese dressers to contemporary american office chairs. Empire, called biedermeier in germany, and thonet s furniture in the biedermeier style was sold along the rhine and in the nearby mosel valley. Between 1830 and 180 thonet succeeded in making chair parts and soon. This was a landmark invention considering it wasnt common to have furniture in public spaces. They developed new machines and work processes and presented numerous additional developments and new furniture designs. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. One of the most celebrated furniture catalogs ever published. Furniture was now affordable for and available to the general public. Sadly, the large manufacturers put the small furniture makers and shops out of business.
Bentwood furniture designs by michael thonet michael thonet chairs and furniture designs. Greek furniture styles were simple, elegant and tasteful. In the 1830s, as an alternative to the laborious technique of carving, he began bending wood to create furniture. Michael thonet germanaustrian, 17961871 was the founder of the furniture firm which bears his name. Pdf since human beings set foot on the earth, the motivation to avoid exte 1 rnal conditions such as weather, sun. Oct 27, 2011 furniture was now affordable for and available to the general public.
Michael thonet 19th century furniture designer and. Michael thonets sons, franz, michael junior, august, josef and jakob, joined the company gebruder thonet in vienna in 1853. Smith kitchens and baths ebook pdf epub online download free pompeii and the roman villa. Fuller commentar, will be found in the accompanying manual. The story of thonet furniture presented here on the occasion of the firms. Experiments to make this furniture lighter, yet stronger and more portable, began in 1830. The thonet brand a look at its graphic design history. May 04, 2020 michael thonet germanaustrian, 17961871 was the founder of the furniture firm which bears his name. In the 1830s, thonet attempted to construct furniture, mainly chairs, from bent wooden slats and glue. Thonet was the son of the master tanner franz anton thonet of boppard. Furniture kept developing throughout history as places where they were used kept developing.
The paperback of the thonet bentwood and other furniture. In 1830 michael thonet began his experiments with what became known as bentwood furniture. While bentwood chair were actually being made at least two centuries before thonet was even born, he perfected the process which made the wood easier to bend and allows for mass production to begin. He trained as an apprentice and established his own cabinet making firm in 1819. These replaced previous individual craft skills with an investment in machinery that allowed any worker to produce accurate and repeatable bent componen. Thonetparis, drawn into the business by the prospect of sponsoring. It is assembled from six pieces of wood held together with screws and nuts, with a caned seat. The famous coffee house chair is an icon and considered the most successful mass produced product in the world to date. Home creators thonet furniture tables coffee and cocktail tables. Gebruder thonet, the austrian company founded in 1853 by german cabinet maker michael thonet 17961871 and his five sons, had 52 factories in europe by 1900, making bentwood furniture. This elegant bentwood classic is a masterpiece in its construction and production. The austrian bentwood furniture designed by michael thonet 17961871 was among the 19th centurys most original contributions to furniture development.
Range 209 thonet chairs, armchairs, sofas, classics. Michael thonet 2 july 1796 3 march 1871 was a germanaustrian cabinet maker, known for. Pieces of thonet furniture, always created while keeping a finger on the pulse of. Our focus is on creating distinctive, innovative furniture designs, hand built by skilled craftsmen in our workshops right here in the us. Rare catalogs of bentwood and other furniture designs from legendary european manufacturer. An exciting book about the history of chairs ok, fine. To include a comma in your tag, surround the tag with double quotes. The greek history of furniture can be traced back to the heritage of egyptian furniture, evolving into softer lines, subtle and elegant curves, and more attention was given to comfort. Michael thonet, austrian bentwood chaise is composed of beech with an adjustable back with two arms, a scrolling base, and cane paneled seat. Lounge thonet modern commercial modular furniture for. Giedion in his book mechanization takes command terms them form purified by. Online shopping from a great selection at books store.
Twentyfive centuries of style and design in the western tradition. In 1857, michael thonet s sons as gebruder thonet commissioned the first thonet furniture factory to be built in the moravian town of korycany using their fathers plans. Thonet bentwood chair thonet furniture bauhaus 2 your. Olympus digital camera art nouveau, art deco, vienna austria, le corbusier, book. The boppard layerwood chair was his first true success, although he failed to get a patent for the technology he created to make the chair from several different countries. Michael thonet, germanaustrian pioneer in the industrialization of furniture manufacture, whose experiments in the production of bentwood furniture widely influenced both contemporary and modern styles and whose functional and exquisitely designed chairs are still being manufactured. Gebruder thonet, the austrian company founded in 1853 by german cabinet maker michael thonet 17961871 and his five sons, had 52 factories in europe by. A bentwood chair is sometimes called a thonet chair in honor of its creator michael thonet. Although carving and inlays were used, furniture was not overdecorated. In the early part of the 19th century, michael thonet. In addition, numerous books and catalogues have been published. Breathtaking homes by americas finest interior designers ebook pdf epub online download free michael s. The economics of the cantilever chair, 19291936 lse research. These replaced previous individual craft skills with an investment in machinery that allowed any worker to produce accurate and repeatable bent components.
The manual operations of bending, hammering and welding usually produce stress marks and defects that show. A global view covers the major historical movements in furniture design from prehistoric periods through contemporary times and includes parts of the world that traditional history books ignore or. The black story of the four furniture models of le corbusier. Thonet coffee and cocktail tables 7 for sale at 1stdibs. I have always loved wooden armchairs with smooth, curvy details.
Design and history 21 the first worlds fairs among them 1873 in vienna, 1876 in philadelphia, and 1889 in paris with gustave eiffels tower were gigantic collections of products and expositions of design, where the technical and cultural developments of the age were put on show. Michael thonet austrian furniture maker britannica. Shop authentic michael thonet furniture and other michael thonet furniture from the worlds best dealers. Download pdf pressrelease history 214 and pure materials. The 1904 illustrated catalogue, with the 19056 and 1907 supplements and price lists in german. The legendary vienna coffee house chair marked the transition from manual. In the early 1800s he had undergone training as a joiner and started making cabinets at his workshop in boppard on the rhine, in germany. The first chair to be massproduced was the bentwood, developed by michael thonet toenet. This is particularly noticeable in historical treatments of the furniture of le. This book is the best book i have found on the web. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times.
The story of thonet furniture presented here on the occasion of the firms 100th anniversary in the united states reads like a chapter in the history. The innovative bending technique allowed for industrial production of a chair for the first time ever. Thonet commercial furniture for lobbies, airports, colleges. Choose from 7 authentic thonet coffee and cocktail tables for sale on 1stdibs. Thonet used the techniques of steambending and the pliable nature of beech wood to make chairs, tables, hallstands, cots and so on. However, by the mid1830s he had perfected a process of making furniture out of a combination of bent and glued wooden slats. There is something about bentwood furniture that is classic, clean and sculptural. Michael thonets chair was produced with a brand new method and what. Gebruder thonet were particularly known for their manufacture of bentwood furniture, for which they had developed the first industrialscale production processes. In the coming years, five more production sites were established in eastern europe, and in 1889 the seventh and last production site was added in the hessian town of. The unique success story of thonet began with the work of master joiner michael thonet 17961871. After michael thonets death in 1871, they jointly managed the company. Twenty books on furniture design covering topics from classical chinese dressers to contemporary american office chairs.
Published by cambridge university press on behalf of the business history conference. If you are looking for the classic thonet bentwood chair and furniture designs from bauhaus 2 your house has one of the largest ranges available. Thonet used the techniques of steambending and the pliable nature of beech wood. Michael thonet, born july 2, 1796, boppard, trier germanydied march 3, 1871, vienna, germanaustrian pioneer in the industrialization of furniture manufacture, whose experiments in the production of bentwood furniture widely influenced both contemporary and modern styles and whose functional and exquisitely designed chairs are still being manufactured. Gently used thonet furniture up to 50% off at chairish. Traces the history of the german furniture company that introduced the bentwood process and focuses on the designers and designs it featured. Art and culture around the bay of naples ebook pdf epub online. Furniture kept developing throughout history as places where they were used kept. More than 40 classic modern chairs, illustrated and discussed by a noted furniture designer, exemplify the marriage of practicality and aesthetics. Identifying the age of thonet chairs and other thonet furniture. The basis was a new technique the bending of solid wood that michael thonet developed steam bent wooden bicycle based on the thonet chair design is fine. See more ideas about furniture, dining chairs and chair. Geva favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite july 17, 2011 subject. Antique rare thonet bentwood rocker, ca 1900 all original, same as picassos.
One of the most celebrated furniture catalogs ever published, reproduced directly from companys only surviving copy. Thonet furniture thonet has been crafting exquisite furniture since 1830. Michael thonet 2 july 1796 3 march 1871 was a germanaustrian cabinet maker, known for the invention of bentwood furniture. Twentyfive centuries of style and design in the western tradition morley, john on. A global view covers the major historical movements in furniture design from prehistoric periods through contemporary times and includes parts of the world that traditional history books ignore or underserve, such as africa and china.