Michael Thonet

Michael Thonet (Boppard 1796 – Vienna 1871) trained as a cabinetmaker, specialising in geometric marquetry.

A furniture designer and manufacturer, from 1830 he began his experiments with bent wood for the production of chairs, eventually patenting in 1841 a new process involving the treatment of beechwood strips with steam or by boiling them in water and glue, which at minimal cost yielded an innovative material of great lightness, flexibility and durability.

In 1849 he settled in Vienna, where he opened a factory for the production of chairs, small tables, coat stands and more, distinguished by their simple, clean lines, achieving immediate and lasting success. Thonet established new factories in Moravia and Hungary to increase production and opened showrooms in the major European and American cities.