Thonet: 200 years of existence, 200 years of design icons.
Throughout its exceptionally long history, this world-famous company has never stopped creating new classics. Always in tune with the times, rich in culture and enduring in value, Thonet furniture accompanies the lives of men and women around the world. The history of the Frankenberg-based company is marked by milestones and groundbreaking innovations in materials, forms and production techniques.
In the 19th century, Michael Thonet was the first to bend solid wood. At that time, the legendary bistro chair marked the transition from handmade to mass production and Thonet entered the world's industrial history. In the 20th century, Bauhaus professors Marcel Breuer, Mart Stam and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe experimented with cold bent tubular steel and invented the cantilever chair, with Thonet and its avant-garde spirit at their side.
Even today, renowned designers and architects continue to create furniture for Thonet that is often destined to become a classic. For Thonet, yesterday's heritage is a promise for tomorrow: the design and manufacture of original pieces offering clear vision, perfect form and ≪ made in Germany ≫ exceptional quality. As one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the world, the family-owned company Thonet has been producing furniture of exceptional quality for the home and community since 1819. In its unwavering commitment to innovation with innovative technologies and outstanding design, Thonet has not forgotten the long tradition that has made it known throughout the world. The company's activities are marked by the search for a harmonious combination of form, function and aesthetics.
In 1859, Michael Thonet, the founder of the company, industrialized furniture production for the first time by using a new technology for bending solid beech wood to build chair no. 14, which is now known as the "bistro chair". In the 1930s, the company became the world's largest producer of tubular steel furniture, the second most important material at Thonet and new at the time. The furniture was designed by renowned Bauhaus architects such as Mart Stam, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer. The tubular steel classics and the first bentwood furniture from Thonet are a milestone in the history of design.
In addition to the bentwood and tubular steel classics, which are available in various versions and editions, Thonet is constantly expanding its collection of new products in cooperation with nationally and internationally renowned designers. Some of the furniture is also designed by the Thonet design team.
