Tag: Thonet

Thonet No. 14 Project (1): Amos Field Reid

Thonet-no-14-Drum-2-by-Amos-Field-Reid
Amos Field Reid pointed me to the Thonet no. 14 project where 6 young UK based designers marked the 150th anniversary of the Thonet no. 14 in 2009 by replacing only the seats. More can be read on WC Frank’s site.

The challenge was to find a balance between pragmatic restoration and sympathetic innovation.
The tensioned Drum seat features an interpretation of the pattern that once adorned many of the Thonet plywood seats, is high on comfort, low in weight and can be fitted without tools. As a simple ­organic material that lasts and ages well, leather seemed a match for the chairs aged beech limbs, whilst the strapping shares the bolt-it-together pragmatism typical of Thonet’s constructions.
This piece was produced in collaboration with leather craftsman Justin Parker.

Die Zeit Armchair by Otto Wagner

Die Zeit Armchair by Otto Wagner
Die Zeit Armchair by Otto Wagner is another chair in the important Wiener Werkstätte auction in NYC coming March 3, 2011:

OTTO WAGNER

Rare armchair, for the dispatch bureau of Die Zeit, Vienna, ca. 1902

Beechwood, nickel-plated metal, aluminum, cord, fabric. 30 3/4 in. (78.1 cm.) high Produced by Jacob & Josef Kohn, Austria. Underside stamped with “J. & J. Kohn/Teschen Austria.”

ESTIMATE $35,000-45,000

via Phillips de Pury & Company.

My view: It seems very similar to the Postsparkasse chair….and already Art Deco.

See for instance the one that was auctioned, but probably held up at Wright in 2006:

Armchair by Otto Wagner for the Vienna Postsparkasse

According to Wright made by:

Thonet
Austria, 1906
stained beech wood, aluminum, upholstery
21.75 w x 23.25 d x 31 h inches

Vienna’s Postparkasse, or Post Office Savings Bank, is Otto Wagner’s most important public commission and a landmark of modern architecture. This project illustrates Wagner’s pioneering use of aluminum as a new and modern material in architecture and design. Produced in a small series exclusively for the board room of the Post Office Savings Bank, this armchair utilizes aluminum both as a durable material for everyday use, and as a detail that fuses the design with overall architectural concept. Signed with manufacturer’s paper label to underside: [Thonet Wien] and stamped: [Thonet].

Otto Wagner Armchair NYC Christies
In 2008 a similar chair fetched $16,250 at Christie’s in a NYC sale.

Two Leather Otto Wagner Armchairs
In London at Christies there was not much interest in two leather upholstered ones in 2007 ($2,559) See Lot.

In 2000 at Christie’s (again NYC) this ebonized with aluminum one fetched $35,250.

Cord versus upholstery vs leather?  Thonet vs J&J Kohn – who, mind you, later acquired the certain parts of the Thonet portfolio? New World loving this chair more than the Old World? Many questions…

Curious what this one will fetch in NYC.

Thonet Echoes Chair by Piotr Pacalowski

Thonet Echoes by Piotr Pacalowski
Thonet Echoes by Piotr Pacalowski

Katowice, Poland, based designer Piotr Pacalowski drew my attention with his Thonet Echoes Chair.

Muji Thonet no. 14 by James Irvine at 2011 IMM Cologne (10)

Muji Thonet no 14 Interpretation by James Irvine

Muji Thonet no 14 Interpretation by James Irvine

I was reasonably late to show you this Thonet no 14 interpretation by James Irvine which Muji started to sell in 2009 already. Therefore I’m glad I found it in front of my camera at IMM Cologne 2011 to publish it here. Especially because there are more recent reinterpretations of the no 14, like the Österlen by Inga Sempé, the Sealed Armchair by Francois Dumas and the Vigna Chair by Martino Gamper.

Österlen by Inga Sempé for Gärsnäs

Österlen chair

French designer Inga Sempé will present this ash Österlen chair for Swedish brand Gärsnäs at the Stockholm Furniture Fair in Sweden next week.

Called Österlen, the chair has slices cut out of the bent back and round legs to make a comfortable backrest, create neat joints with the square plywood seat and sharpen the line of the legs.

Via dezeen.com

Last edited by Guido J. van den Elshout on November 25, 2011 at 10:59 PM