Thonet

Thonet

Thonet can look back on a proud company history, one based on highest carpentry tradition, innovation and lasting success. At the end of the 19th century Michael Thonet's bentwood production process revolutionised the production of chairs and armchairs: Thonet's most famous furniture pieces include the classic Coffee House Chair No. 14 by Michael Thonet and the Bauhaus furniture such as Mart Stam's cantilever chair S 43 or the chair S 32/S 64 by the famous Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer. The furniture manufacturer Thonet was founded following the relocation of the Thonet family to Vienna in 1859. With the introduction of Chair No. 14, Thonet soon developed into a renowned manufacturer whose designer chairs and designer tables were produced under the most modern conditions. Parallel to the transfer of the company to the sons' of founder Michael Thonet, the company moved in new directions through the early 20th century, in particular in cooperation with Bauhaus students and teachers such as Marcel Breuer or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Thus, in the 1920s, the Thonet were at the forefront of a move towards a more functional furniture design: classic tubular steel furniture from the Bauhaus era, which has lost none of its popularity and significance, still forms the foundation of this long-established company. One which today produces its furniture with the same love for handcraft and original design it always has. Amongst the more recent additions to the Thonet portfolio are modern versions of classic objects such as Sebastian Herkner's 118, an addition which expands and deepens the range of Thonet furniture for both the domestic and project markets.

The S 43 Classic looks as contemporary today as it did when almost a century ago

The Thonet Family

The history of the Thonet furniture company dates back to 1819. In that year Michael Thonet founded his workshop in Boppard am Rhein and quickly established a first-class reputation: one Thonet would maintain for almost 200 years. In 1942 the company moved to Vienna and 10 years later Michael Thonet transferred the company to his sons as the company "Gebrüder Thonet". By the end of the 19th century, the furniture company had expanded worldwide - numerous factories, showrooms and sawmills were founded throughout the old and new Worlds. However, with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy Thonet itself went into crisis and was merged in the 1920s with the Mundus AG and later with Jacob and Joseph Kohn. The advent of Bauhaus and the associated production of tubular steel furniture saw a revival of the companys' fortunes at beginning of the 20th century. In 1938, the shares in Thonet Mundus AG were bought back by the Thonet family. After World War II the majority of the Thonet factories were nationalised but the factory in Frankenberg (Oder) was rebuilt by Georg Thonet. With the appointment of Claus Thonet as member of the executive board, the fifth generation of the family finally joined the management in 1972. From 1976, the Austrian and German parts of the company were continued. independently Today, Peter Thonet leads the family business, which was renamed in 2006 from "Gebrüder Thonet" to "Thonet GmbH".

A Thonet family picture

Thonet. Sustainable.

Thonet follows the premise that profit-oriented growth must go hand in hand with environmental protection and responsible action with regard to ecology and social justice; consequently the company operates holistically, sustainably and with social awareness at all levels.

Sustainable materials, sustainably produced and extremely homely: Thonet 209

Selected and sustainable materials

A wide variety of materials and colours are employed by Thonet, and which are individually identified for each product, the selection of which being subject to systematic quality and environmental management. For example, all woods are FSC or PFSC-certified and the water-soluble stains used by Thonet contain less than 2 percent solvents. Leather comes exclusively from Europe and is tanned and dyed according to strict ecological guidelines. All textiles processed by Thonet have an abrasion rate of 25,000 or higher and are therefore particularly resistant and durable. The cane used by Thonet is a natural product made of rattan, which grows as a tropical climbing plant in the jungles of Indonesia and is neither bleached nor dyed.

Browse through the current Thonet brochures for even more inspiration:

smow sells exclusively originals from licensed manufacturers and is an official trading partner of Thonet.