Thonet Chair

by Stable MARK

Thonet chairs changed the face of furniture design. From the first Boppard models to the timeless bentwood classics, they remain icons of 19th-century craftsmanship.

Overview of Thonet chairs and armchairs from the 19th century, including early Boppard models and bentwood designs by Michael Thonet and Gebrüder Thonet, produced between the 1830s and 1860s. — Image: Collection of Thonet chairs and armchairs, designed by Michael Thonet and Gebrüder Thonet between the 1830s and 1860s.
by Stable MARK - own work

This collection brings together Thonet’s most fascinating works — from the early Boppard experiments to refined models like no. 2, no. 12, and the legendary café chair no. 14, alongside rare commissions for the Palais Liechtenstein and Palais Pálffy.

Table of Contents

Thonet Simple Bopparder Chair Thonet Bopparder Chair Thonet Chair for the Liechtenstein City Palace Thonet Chair Model No. 1 Thonet Chair Model No. 2 Thonet Armchair Model No. 2 Thonet Chair Model No. 4 Thonet Armchair Model No. 4 Thonet Chair Model No. 7 Thonet Chair Model No. 8 Thonet Armchair Model No. 8 Thonet Armchair Model No. 11 Thonet Chair Model No. 12 Thonet Chair Model No. 14 Thonet Chair Model No. 22 made for the Palais Pálffy

Thonet Simple Bopparder Chair

Thonet Simple Boppard Chair in walnut with laminated bent construction, cherry veneer and cane seat, designed by Michael Thonet around 1836, produced in Vienna between 1842 and 1844. — Image: Thonet Simple Boppard Chair, designed by Michael Thonet around 1836. Produced by Michael Thonet in Vienna, 1842–1844.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work

Crafted: Walnut, laminated and bent; cherry veneer; cane weave.

Thonet Bopparder Chair

Thonet Boppard Chair in walnut with laminated bent construction, mahogany veneer and cane seat, designed by Michael Thonet around 1836, produced in Vienna between 1842 and 1844. — Image: Thonet Boppard Chair, designed by Michael Thonet around 1836. Produced by Michael Thonet in Vienna, 1842–1844.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work

Crafted: Walnut, laminated and bent; mahogany veneer; cane weave.

Even before Michael Thonet moved to Vienna with his family, a distinctive chair form had already emerged in his hometown of Boppard on the Rhine: the so-called "Boppard Chair." These early pieces reflect Thonet’s ongoing search for more economical production methods. Instead of carving the side frames of the popular Biedermeier-style armchairs from solid wood, he began forming them using bentwood techniques. This involved layers of laminated veneer, bent in two dimensions — a key innovation that paved the way for industrial furniture manufacturing.

Thonet Chair for the Liechtenstein City Palace

Crafted: Rosewood, solid and partly carved, rod- and laminated-bent; original silk damask upholstery.

In the mid-1840s, Michael Thonet received his first major commission in Vienna: furnishing the Liechtenstein City Palace, which was undergoing extensive renovation at the time. Working from designs by the Anglo-Austrian architect Peter Hubert Desvignes, Thonet produced both intricate parquet flooring and seating furniture. It was during this project that he first applied his newly developed lamination technique, which made it possible to bend wood in three dimensions — a groundbreaking advancement in the history of furniture making.

Thonet Chair Model No. 1

Thonet bentwood chair model no. 1 with cane seat, designed by Michael Thonet around 1850, produced by Gebrüder Thonet in Vienna circa 1861. — Image: Thonet chair model no. 1, designed by Michael Thonet around 1850. Made by Gebrüder Thonet, Vienna, circa 1861.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work

Crafted: Solid beechwood, steam-bent in multiple parts, with a two-piece backrest insert, rosewood-stained finish, and cane weave.

Thonet Chair Model No. 2

Crafted: Bent laminated beech with solid front legs, brown stained; cane weave.

Thonet Armchair Model No. 2

Crafted: Solid bent beech with three-part backrest inserts, brown stained; cane weave.

Thonet Chair Model No. 4

Crafted: Solid bent beech with three-part backrest inserts, rosewood-stained; renewed damask upholstery.

Thonet Armchair Model No. 4

Crafted: Solid bent beech with three-part backrest inserts and two-part armrests, rosewood-stained; renewed damask upholstery.

Learn More Still curious? Click here to learn about the settee model No. 4.

Thonet Chair Model No. 7

Crafted: Solid beech, multi-part bent, brown stained; cane weave.

Thonet Chair Model No. 8

Crafted: Solid bent beech with slotted back legs, rosewood-stained; cane weave.

Thonet chair model no. 8 in solid bent beech with cane seat, brown stained, designed by Gebrüder Thonet around 1855, produced by Gebrüder Thonet circa 1865. — Image: Thonet chair model no. 8, designed by Gebrüder Thonet around 1855. Produced by Gebrüder Thonet, circa 1865.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work

Crafted: Solid bent beech, brown stained; cane weave.

Thonet Armchair Model No. 8

Crafted: Solid bent beech, brown stained; rare original armrest design, cane weave.

Thonet Armchair Model No. 11

Crafted: Solid bent beech, brown stained; cane weave.

Thonet Chair Model No. 12

Crafted: Solid multi-part bent beech with three-part backrest insert and slotted back legs, rosewood-stained; cane weave.

Thonet Chair Model No. 14

As early as the 1850s, when Thonet’s furniture had become a major commercial success, competing firms began producing imitations. These rivals, however, lacked the patented rights that allowed Thonet to bend solid wood in three dimensions. The chair on display, a variant of the famous Model No. 14, was crafted by an unknown Viennese cabinetmaker using what was already an outdated method: laminated veneer bundles bent in only one plane. To simulate a three-dimensional curve, additional layers and joinery were applied. In terms of proportion and execution, the result appears somewhat clumsy compared to the Thonet original.

Learn More Still curious? Click here to learn about how can you tell if a thonet chair is real.

Thonet chair model no. 14 in solid beech, partly bent with laminated layers, cane seat, brown stained, designed by Gebrüder Thonet in 1859, produced by a Viennese competitor around 1863. — Image: Thonet chair model no. 14, designed by Gebrüder Thonet in 1859. Produced by a Viennese competitor around 1863.
Source: by Stable MARK - own work

Crafted: Solid beech, partly bent with laminated layers, brown stained; cane weave.

By the early 20th century, more than 40 million units of this model — marketed by Thonet as the "consumer chair" — had reportedly been sold worldwide. In Thonet’s sales catalogs, this functionally designed piece, made from just six components, was the most affordable seating option available. Popularly known as the “three-guilder chair,” it earned its nickname due to its low price and widespread accessibility.