If there was a time machine to transport us in a Viennese coffee house back in the 1800s, we would probably find ourselves in a large room with card games, pool tables and magnificent chandeliers. There would be waiters serving us a glass of water with every cup of coffee and we would be chatting or reading a newspaper while sitting on what were considered contemporary pieces of furniture back then – bentwood chairs.
It is quite strange how although centuries have passed since then and many trends in furniture came and went away, but the humble bentwood chair has remained one of the rare pieces of furniture that has managed to bend time and trends. So, you don’t actually need to transport yourself to 1870s Europe to own one or a few of them. Bentwood chairs are still made and are considered to be one of the most recognizable chairs that have ever been produced.
It all started in the 1830s, when Michael Thonet experimented with strips of veneer, boiled in glue, until he succeeded in inventing the furniture made of bent wood after several years. The utilitarian chairs that he once made soon started to be mass-produced at low prices and seen all over the Western world. Many iconic artists of that time, like Auguste Renoir and Toulouse Lautrec, featured Thonet chairs in their infamous paintings and drawings, and even Pablo Picasso himself possessed one in his studio.
The bentwood chair has stood the test of time and is arguably more popular today than it has ever been before. Today, a thonet bentwood stool can be found in millions of homes, businesses, restaurants and it will probably never go out of style. Everyone simply adores this piece of furniture for its chic bentwood design, longevity, and top-notch European craftsmanship.
The thonet bentwood stool can be a beautiful addition to your home also. With colours ranging from classic neutrals to pastels and bold hues, then the glossy to mate wood finishes, and the option of regular or upholstered seats – it seems that the thonet bentwood stool can find its place in a lot of previously established settings, with French cottage and Victorian being the styles that fit perfectly.
If you want to bring the beauty of bentwood furniture into your space, there are many ways you can do so. Bentwood chairs in black or brown colour would pair great with classic-style tables and successfully capture that charming vintage appeal or you can mix some extra curvy models together with a sleek Scandinavian table for a match made in heaven.