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Press Release Frankenberg/Germany, June 2015
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Simply legendary: the unique success story of Thonet’s original Vienna Coffee House Chair 214 New in our programme: the “Pure Materials” version in natural ash wood According to legend, the following incident happened during the World Exhibition in Paris in 1867: Michael Thonet’s chair no. 14 fell from the Eiffel Tower 57 metres to the ground – and survived the fall. The robustness of the chair – proven by more than just this remarkable incident – combined with its elegant, no-frills form and the revolutionary possibility for serial production contributed greatly to the unparalleled success of this chair. In 1862, the coffee house chair, known today as model 214, won the bronze medal at the London World Exhibition and the gold medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1867. By 1930, Thonet had sold 50 million chairs; to this day, the world’s most famous chair continues to fascinate. Over the decades Thonet has produced many different versions of this piece of furniture – most recently, in the beginning of 2015, the chair no. 214 was for the first time brought to market in the “Pure Materials” collection in regional ash wood. Revolutionary in many aspects – a milestone of design history The success story of chair no. 14 began in 1841 with an invitation from the Austrian House, Court and State Chancellor Clemens Prince Metternich, who had heard of Michael Thonet’s experiments with bent wood and invited the young man from Boppard in the Rhineland region to Vienna. Thonet soon succeeded in bending solid wood as well: long wooden rods were made flexible with pressure and steam and then bent into the desired form with special equipment and muscle power. The three-dimensional forming of solid wood was a sensation at the time. Soon, orders for the Palais Liechtenstein and the Palais Schwarzenberg followed. Today’s iconic 214 quickly became a symbol of the Vienna coffee house culture. However, the chair’s enormous success was due not only to the constantly growing project business but also the innovative production process, which for the first time enabled the industrial serial production of chairs. It was a veritable milestone in the history of furniture production. Chair no. 14 could be produced in a work-sharing process and fully disassembled into just six elements. 36 chairs could be packed in a one cubic metre box, shipped to anywhere in the world and assembled on site. The history of modern furniture was underway. To this day, the original coffee house chair with model number 214 (formerly no. 14) is still produced by Thonet GmbH in Frankenberg, Hesse.
Press Release Frankenberg/Germany, June 2015
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How to keep an icon alive – for example, with special materials From the beginning, the chair was further developed by Michael Thonet and later by his descendants. Most recently, for example, a collection of simplified typified Thonet icons in tubular steel and bentwood was developed in cooperation with the Japanese trading company Muji, including an interpretation of the chair 214, designed by James Irvine (2008). In the beginning of 2015, the company presented its bentwood classic for the first time in the “Pure Materials” collection. The ash wood from regional forests used for this especially sustainable product line is intentionally only minimally treated, making the structure of the material a visual and haptic experience; individual hints of use appear after some time. The frames are available in a light oiled version or in a dark stained version refined with a protective natural wood lacquer coating. The seat also reacts with noticeable traces of use in the “Pure Materials” collection. In particular, the version with the naturally tanned quality leather “Olive Galicia” develops its very own patina over the course of time. Depending on the customer’s preference, the model from the new collection is also available with the classic wicker cane or netting.
A glance is enough: the original is literally branded! By the way, a glance is enough to see whether you are holding a genuine 214 in your hands. On the bottom of the seat frame of every Thonet chair – historical and contemporary – has a branded signet of the company with the production year. Newer models can also be identified by the trapezoid seat. Thonet replaced the original round seat in 1960 with this clearly more comfortable version. Thonet press contact international neumann Thonet GmbH Claudia Neumann, Anne Polch, Hanna Reif Susanne Korn Eigelstein 103-113 Michael-Thonet-Straße 1 50668 Köln 35066 Frankenberg Germany Germany Tel. +49 (0) 221 – 91 39 49 0 Tel. +49 (0) 6451 – 508 160 Fax +49 (0) 221 – 91 39 49 19 Fax +49 (0) 6451 – 508 168 E-mail [email protected] E-mail [email protected]
Press Release Frankenberg/Germany, June 2015
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Thonet press contact in the UK Thonet contact in the UK QuickStep PR Crest Contracts Stephanie Bretherton Harriet Knight Unit 405 United House Tel. +44 (0) 845 – 299 3491 North Road E-mail [email protected] London N7 9DP United Kingdom Tel. +44 (0) 20 – 7609 1151 E-mail [email protected] We would be happy to receive any article you may publish. Thonet – future-oriented furniture design with a long tradition The unique success story of Thonet began with the work of master carpenter Michael Thonet. Since establishing his first workshop in Boppard on the River Rhine in 1819, the name Thonet has stood for high-quality, innovative and elegant furniture. The breakthrough came with the iconic chair no. 14, the so-called Vienna coffee house chair: the pioneering technique of bending solid beech wood for the first time enabled the mass production chairs. The second milestone in design history was the tubular steel furniture by the famous Bauhaus architects Mart Stam, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer in the 1930s. At the time, Thonet was the world’s largest producer of these tubular steel furniture designs, which are considered timeless today. For the company today, the continuous process of innovation stands in the foreground alongside a focus on tradition and fine craftsmanship. Thonet collaborates with renowned national and international designers – in addition, some of the furniture is designed by the in-house Thonet Design Team. All of the furniture is produced in the company-owned manufacturing facility, and, following the motto “Individuality is our standard”, custom-tailored solutions are part of everyday life in Frankenberg. Thorsten Muck is the Managing Director of Thonet GmbH at the corporate head offices and production site Frankenberg/Eder (Germany). The descendants of Michael Thonet, the fifth and sixth generations, are actively involved with the company’s business as partners and sales managers.
