Michael Thonet Designed Bistro Chair No. 14

The first inexpensive chair created by Michael Thonet was the A14 bentwood chair.  Only 6 pieces of wood, 10 screws and 2 washers were used to create one of the most legendary items furniture ever made.  Spartan in its decorative look, it was simple, light, but incredibly strong.

The Michael Thonet designed Bistro Chair, also know as the No. 14 chair is one the most recognizable chairs made by the chair company, and considered "the first consumer chair." At 70-some years old, the chair enjoyed a revival when it was included in the Pavilion de l'Esprit Nouveau, a model dwelling at the 1925 Paris International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts. The exhibit, designed by French architect Le Corbusier, was a stark and undecorated home interior: metal file cabinets, laboratory flasks as vases, industrial equipment, and commercial furniture. What seems thoroughly modern today, was scandalous at the time. Corbusier's rejection of decorative art, as illustrated by his machine a habiter (home as a machine for living) greatly influenced the direction of the modern movement.

Bauhaus2YourHouse presents designs of Michael Thonet, as manufactured by original European factories in Poland and the Czech Republic, using historic molds and techniques. Remarkably few changes have been necessary over the last 150 years. The factories still follow the 18th century production methods developed by Michael Thonet to produce historically accurate, handsome, and sturdy bentwood chairs, stools, tables, and accessories. Cane seats are hand-tied, and wood laths steamed and bent into curved jigs then dried, sanded, and finally stained and varnished before being assembled.

Dimensions: W 16" x D 19 1/2" x H 33 1/2"; SH 18"

Materials: Chair with bentwood frame; relief wooden seat. A variety of wood stain and lacquer finishes.