Bentwood (Thonet)

曲木家具（トーネット） / 1859– / Technique / Furniture and Interiors

Thonet's chair No. 14 reduced steam-bent beech to a handful of parts, the first industrial furniture to ship knocked-down and be made in quantity. Rational components and an elegant curve arrived together, which is why it is called the origin of modern design.

Bentwood (Thonet) — Thonet chair in the MAK collection (CC0) — Thonet chair in the MAK collection (CC0) · CC0

Bentwood (Thonet) — Thonet No.14 (FAL) · © Henry Townsend — Thonet No.14 (FAL) · FAL · © Henry Townsend

Bentwood (Thonet) — Michael Thonet, rocking chair c. 1860 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Michael Thonet, rocking chair c. 1860 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

Steam-bent curves
Reduction to few parts
Knock-down shipping
Lightness and mass production

Best used for

Furnishing a busy cafe with light chairs that stack in quantity
Designing furniture that ships flat by cutting the number of parts

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Dictionary entry

Type: Limit curves to a few radii and repeat the same one
Composition: Carry back and leg in one member, gathering joints where they show
Material: Steam bent beech screwed together, the finish keeping the grain visible
Caution: Imitating only the curve in plywood or tube loses the logic of fewer parts, and a chair meant to look slender turns heavy and dull.
Further study: Michael Thonet / six parts and ten screws / its adoption by Le Corbusier

Related entries

Art Nouveau (アール・ヌーヴォー)Shared effects: Luxury.Compare Bentwood (Thonet) and Art Nouveau
Bauhaus (バウハウス)Shared effects: Trust.Compare Bentwood (Thonet) and Bauhaus

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