Chair Card Extra Credit: Michael Thonet

Michael Thonet

Boppard Chair I

     Micheal Thonet was born in Boppard- am Rhein, Austria in 1796(Fiell, Chairs, 148). There he trained as a cabinet maker. Once Thonet completed his apprenticeship he established his own workshop in 1819( Miller, 262). It wasn't until 1836 that he began experimenting with the construction of bent laminated wood seats. Thonet's method included soaking strips of veneer in boiling glue, and then molding them( Fiell, 1000 Chairs, 44).  The Boppard Chair I(1836-1840)

Boppard Chair II

     and the Boppard Chair II ( 1840--1842)






  were amongst the first bending experimentation( Fiell, 1000 Chairs, 44).

        In 1842, Thonet recieved a patent for his steam bending process( Miller, 262).It was in 1859,  that  Thonet released what would be his one of his most famous pieces Chair No. 14 ( Fiell, 1000 Chairs, 44). In fact, Chair No. 14 still to this day  is noted as being one of the most successful industrial designed products of it's time (Fiell, Chairs, 148).

Chair No. 14

      It is believed that it was the simplified form of his furniture that allowed Thonet to successfully produce his design on a mass- production level (Fiell, Chairs, 148). As a designer, I feel that to be successful I must try to simply my design to form a design that conveys one clear concept. Simplicity is something that I continue to struggle with as a new designer.I  also love that the the chairs inner movement forces my eye to glide among the smooth curves of the furniture. As a recent novice with the wood shop I can appreciate the seamless craft associated with ever one of Thonet's designs.







Work Cited

• Fiell, Petter and Charlotte, 1000 Chairs, Benedikt Taschen Verlag Gmbh, 2000.
• Fiell, Petter and Charlotte, Chairs, Taschen Gmbh, 2001.
• Miller, Judith, Furniture, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2005.
•  http://image.architonic.com/imgObj/phillips1203_sat/3101_0005_1_lg_sq.jpg