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The extraordinary success story of the Thonet company begins with Michael Thonet (1796–1871) and his business as a master carpenter. His manufacture of him becomes the protagonist of the transition from the artisanal to the industrial dimension.

The chair n ° 14 created for a Viennese café in 1859 marks, for Michael Thonet, the start of industrial production which sees the use of the unprecedented technique of bending solid beech wood on what will later become known as the timeless "Vienna straw chair". The work steps are standardized and, for the first time in the manufacture of furniture, a division of labor is implemented. In addition, the chair is easy to disassemble and transport thanks to its small footprint. This model is highly appreciated and allows Thonet to become a company of international dimensions. Many other very successful bentwood models follow. These are flanked by those in tubular steel which represent the second constant in the Thonet product range. In the 1930s, the company was the largest producer in the world of this new kind of furniture designed by famous architects, such as Mart Stam, Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer. Today these first tubular steel furniture are considered milestones in the history of design: their clear, open and sober shapes are the expression of a new trend in the culture of everyday life. and in the architecture that takes the name of "New Objectivity".

Many of these highly successful classics still feature in the product portfolio, for example the first cantilever chair S 33, for which Mart Stam obtained the artistic copyright for its basic form and principle, or Marcel Breuer's S 32 and S 64 models. The company is headquartered in Frankenberg, in northern Hesse, where both the classic bentwood and tubular steel models and the new collections are produced. Thonet uses the most modern production technologies and the great experience acquired to design and implement, among other things, solutions of great value and excellent workmanship for environments used for meetings and conferences.

Thonet has treasured the precious experiences accumulated over the course of its almost bicentennial history and experimentation in the creation of objects. In this way, the company has been able to develop its own fundamental identity characteristics, such as the manufacture of customized products, which have led it to be what it is today. Thonet manufactures products with a strong individual imprint, designed to last over time, which are characterized by high quality materials and an ever-current formal language.