No. 14 chair
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| No. 14 Chair | |
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| Designer : Michael Thonet | |
| Date : 1860 | |
| Country : Austria | |
| Materials : Wood, Steam-bent Beechwood, 10 screws, and 2 nuts. | |
| Style/Tradition : Classic | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Colours : Light brown wood. | |
The No. 14 chair is the most famous chair made by the Thonet chair company. Also known as the bistro chair, it was designed by Michael Thonet in the 19th century using a unique steam bent technology that required years to perfect. With its affordable price and simple design, it became one of the best-selling chairs ever made. Some 50 million No. 14s were sold between 1860 and 1930, and millions more have been sold since. [1]
Thonet’s No. 14 is made of six pieces of steam-bent wood, ten screws, and two nuts. The wooden parts were made by heating beechwood slats to 100 degrees Celsius, pressing them into curved cast-iron molds, and then drying them at around 70 degrees Celsius for 20 hours.[2] The chairs could be mass produced by unskilled workers and disassembled to save space during transportation, an idea similar to flat pack Ikea furniture.
The design was a response to a requirement for cafe-style chairs. The seat was often made of woven cane/palm, because the holes in the seat would let spilt liquid drain off the chair.
Chair No 14, today known as 214, is still produced by Thonet.
[edit] Design classic
The No. 14 chair is widely regarded as a design classic. It earned a gold medal when it was shown at the 1867 World Exposition in Paris. It has been praised by many designers and architects, including Le Corbusier, who said "Never was a better and more elegant design and a more precisely crafted and practical item created." [2]
[edit] References
- ^ Alice Rawsthorn (7 November 2008). "No. 14: The chair that has seated millions". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/10/style/design10.php. Retrieved on 7 January 2009.
- ^ a b Bettina Becker (June 2007). "Thonet - A modern design institution". Goethe-Institut. http://www.goethe.de/kue/des/dos/dos/dsd/tho/en2404748.htm. Retrieved on 7 January 2009.
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