Michael Thonet
b.1796, Austria (German-born)
b.1796, Austria (German-born)
BIOGRAPHY
Michael Thonet was a master cabinet maker and carpenter from Germany; known for bending wood; an unknown and unachieved technique at the time. Thonet's essential breakthrough was his success in having light, strong wood bent into curved, graceful shapes by forming the wood in hot steam. This enabled him to design entirely elegant, lightweight, durable and comfortable furniture – a complete departure from the heavy, carved designs of the past – and whose aesthetic and functional appeal remains to this day.
SELECTED WORKS
— Available Works![Bentwood Chair 214, Designed in 1859, Ash, rattan, 84 x 43 x 52 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8519cd9bac20c91b55b943fd927656d2984e9fd8ef8c3d236e13a3aade6a79c1/1703-copy.jpg)
![Bentwood Chair 214, Designed in 1859, Ash, rattan, 84 x 43 x 52 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dc61040fe0342172215f8525f71a6ead769c7aa5496ab4788f516f3088701075/1704-copy.jpg)