Waarschijnlijk voormalig Thonet-fabriek in Roemenië (Caransebeș) - Michael Thonet - Chair (2) - Bistro chair no. 18 - Beech - Thonet style

Two very beautiful Thonet-style chairs. They are model 18, a bistro chair that was probably produced in a former Thonet factory in Romania (likely Caransebeș). After World War II, all these factories were nationalized and continued producing Thonet chairs. The Thonet machines and molder tools were used and the same workers made the chairs. Technically, this is therefore a Thonet chair, but officially not anymore. There is no stamp or label on the bottom (see photos), so there is not 100% certainty about the country of production, but post-war models like this from the former Thonet factory are known.

These pieces are made of light beech and have a woven seat. The seat consists of real webbing, but is not woven directly on the chair; instead, pre-woven mats are clamped into a groove in the seat. The height is 89 cm, the seat height is 46 cm. The width is 41 cm and the depth 45.5 cm. The chairs weigh about 3 kg each. They are identical and have always been sold together as a set. They probably date from the 1990s.

Thonet chair No. 18 was designed and produced by Thonet as an export chair. It provides slightly more back support than Thonet No. 14, because the inner rail forms a complete loop, whereas the legendary No. 14 had only a short inner loop. It was also possible to take No. 18 apart into fewer pieces. It was exported in parts worldwide. Very efficient!

These chairs are in good condition and show only logical signs of use. The woven seats are still entirely intact and taut (see photos). Very sturdy and very beautiful! All joints are still very stable and all original fastening materials are present. The chairs are 100% stable! On the second chair, a piece of the rim is cracked and later glued. This repair is not very neat, but it is hardly visible (see photos). Furthermore, there are some scuff marks, mainly on the backrest and legs, where they may have rested against a wall (see photos). There are also some dark spots on both chairs. It is unknown what this is. The underside of the legs no longer has varnish (see photos). It seems to be caused by water exposure, from the floor where the chairs stood being regularly scrubbed and mopped.

Michael Thonet is regarded as the first and most important furniture designer. He was also the first to perfect steam bending of wood so that it could be applied in industrial furniture production. In this chair too, the steam-bent elements are clearly visible. This gave the Thonet chair its stability. It is remarkable how stable this chair still is, despite nearly 75 years of age!

The chairs are professionally packed and insured for shipment.