Bentwood furniture is furniture made from solid wood, usually beech, that has been steamed until pliable and then bent into curved shapes around moulds before being dried and assembled. The technique produces strong, light and economical frames with flowing lines and very few joints.
The method is closely associated with Michael Thonet, the German-born cabinet maker who developed the process in the mid-nineteenth century and established the firm of Gebrüder Thonet in Vienna. His chair No. 14, introduced in 1859, could be shipped flat-packed and assembled with a handful of screws, and it became one of the most widely produced chairs in history, a fixture of cafés across Europe. Rival firms such as Jacob & Josef Kohn and Fischel also manufactured large quantities, along with rocking chairs, hat stands, settees and children's furniture. Original pieces often carry branded, stamped or paper labels on the underside of the seat rail, which help with identification and dating. Collectors look for sound bends without splits, original caned or pressed seats and an untouched finish. Bentwood chairs remain popular in kitchens, restaurants and dining rooms for their lightness and graceful simplicity.
