Inspired by Thonet

Thonet with its 200-year history is one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the world. Two hundred years that left their mark on the evolution of design, starting the history of modern furniture. The entire Thonet collection features timeless design classics, both in curved wood and tubular steel from the Bauhaus period. Innovation, quality and flexibility are the keywords that sum up the philosophy of the historical brand. The history of Thonet begins in 1859, when its founder Michael Thonet, then a carpenter and pioneer of industrial design, moved to Vienna, where, with the support of Prince Metternich, he decided to start producing furniture using the unprecedented technique of bending solid beech wood. With his greatest success, Fr. 14, today 214, Michael Thonet was able to bring a decisive innovation to the world of design, revolutionizing the shapes of classic period furniture and adapting to industrial mass production. From that moment on, Thonet became a world-class company, and the iconic chair no. 14 soon became a symbol of Viennese coffee shops. The 214 chair is one of the best-selling chairs in the world today, despite having around 150 years in the market and an icon used in famous movies and works of art.

The Thonet principle: from curved wood to steel tubes. The design scene of the 1920s and 1930s, dominated by Bauhaus, also made its avant-garde contribution to Thonet. Inspired by the curved shapes of the products so far, great architects such as Marcel Breuer, Le Corbusier, Mart Stam and Mies van der Rohe have shifted their focus from curved wood to steel tubes. Work had a different and innovative organization: no worker built the entire chair, only part of it, always the same. This accelerated the production process and hundreds of chairs left the factory daily. This is how the idea for the assembly line was born.
In fact, the "Thonet principle" can be summed up in an idea and a finite number of elements that facilitate the assembly of each piece of furniture, making it easy to transport and therefore exportable all over the world. By simplifying the structure and components of the chair, Michael Thonet was also able to make a significant contribution to the sales shipment: as many as 36 disassembled chairs, including screws, fit into one cubic meter box and once at their destination, the chairs could be easily assembled on site.

Thonet: Historic Design Icons In addition to the famous chairs, Thonet has produced a whole range of furniture over the years, including upholstered furniture, tables, home accessories and a contract that will soon become milestones in the history of design, real icons are sold and appreciated to this day. Thanks to simple names, reminiscent of alphanumeric codes, Thonet chairs, tables and furniture accessories always stay true to the spirit of the founder carpenter. Historic icons include the elegant B 10 table designed by Marcel Breuer and the tubular steel rocking chair S 826 designed by Ulrich Böhme for Thonet.
Today Thonet is headquartered in Frankenberg, Germany and chaired by Thorsten Muck, and its exclusive collections are sold in specialized stores around the world. The company still reconciles its tradition and craftsmanship with the development of new models, anticipating constantly changing life trends. Thonet is constantly expanding its collection, returning to the classics of steel pipes and bent wood in many varieties and editions, as well as introducing new models resulting from cooperation with designers of international and national renown. The courage to dare to new proposals, the latest technologies and unusual design, remaining firmly rooted in the rich tradition of the company, made Thonet known all over the world.

Thonet store in the store Inspirowane.eu Stools, pouffes, sofas and coffee tables, but most of all the famous Thonet chairs can be bought online on the Inspirowane.eu e-commerce platform.