The iconic Thonet No. 14 is the staple of cafe seating, and is better known as Konsumstuhl Nr. 14 or coffee shope chair no. 14. It won the gold medal at the Paris World's Fair in 1867.
As with many classic designs, the genius is in it's simplicity. Made of only eight pieces, the chair could be mass produced by unskilled workers and assembled on site. Making it the original flat-pack chair. Typically the seat was made of a woven cane or palm, which allowed any spilled drink or liquid to drain.
"[I]t improves with age. The iconic Thonet No. 14 is the staple of cafe seating, and is better known as Konsumstuhl Nr. 14 or coffee shope chair no. 14. It won the gold medal at the Paris World's Fair in 1867. 'As the screws and glue loosen, the structure becomes softer,' noted Grcic. 'It's a chair that becomes nicer and nicer to sit in as it ages. Most chairs feel odder when they're older and clapped-out, but the No.14 just seems safer and more comfortable. Michael Thonet probably didn't intend that to happen, but it's a beautiful sensation. I've tried to do it with new chairs, but it's amazingly challenging.'" and is now a design classic that is over 150 years old.An excerpt from this fascinating article in the New York Times in 2008, No. 14: The Chair that has seated millions, and is now a design classic that is over 150 years old.
Do you know where I buy one?
ReplyDeleteThey're still produced in Germany and available on www.thonet.de, but I would keep an eye on Craigslist/Ebay/Gumtree and find a beautiful beat-up old one! x
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