Wooden Chair / Bar Stool 118 HT Thonet

Off to the bar: wooden chair 118 HT from Thonet

Minimalist through and through - the 118 is an absolutely classic wooden chair that enhances any room with its subtle elegance. As early as the middle of the 19th century, Michael Thonet was working on the principle of producing a chair from as few components as possible, and designer Sebastian Herkner not only took up this approach with his 118 chair, but honoured it at the same time.

Refined details make the design chair appear particularly elegant. For example, the legs of the chair are rounded on the back and have slight edges on the front - a skilful break is created that optically takes up the horseshoe-shaped base of the seat.

Designer Sebastian Herkner

Sebastian Herkner studied product design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach. Already during his studies he concentrated on the design of objects and furniture, which are characterized by the combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. Subtle details as well as the natural beauty of the materials used are also in focus. Herkner founded his own design studio in Offenbach am Main in 2006 and has since designed products for numerous well-known companies. His work has already received numerous awards.

Thonet - 200 years of tradition

The Frankenberg-based manufacturer stands for durability and an irrepressible drive for innovation. Thonet was the first manufacturer to market bentwood furniture and distribute tubular steel furniture. Michael Thonet founded his own workshop in Boppard am Rhein in 1819. In the 1830s, he experimented with veneer strips cooked in glue and is therefore regarded as the inventor of "furniture made of curved wood". In 1842 he was invited to Vienna by the Austrian State Chancellor Prince Metternich and the coffee house culture there laid the foundation for Thonet's later success. Given this willingness to innovate, it is not surprising that Thonet also cultivated links with the Bauhaus and Marcel Breuer. Thus, Thonet implemented his experiments with cold-bent steel tubing and produced the well-known cantilever chairs.

Material and size

The 118 chair consists of solid wood and a seat made of cane wickerwork with plastic support fabric under the cane wickerwork. The chair also has a chromed footrest. It is 40 cm wide, 45 cm deep and 84 cm high. The seat height is 65 cm.

Note on the wickerwork used

The wickerwork used is a natural product. This type of wickerwork is manufactured exclusively in the Far East and is delivered to Thonet rolled up in rolls. The reed wicker threads are peeled from the Rotang palm growing in East Asia and glued together. Since it is a natural product, the quality and width of the individual threads can vary. Blunt spots are for example growth rings of the plant. Growth and harvesting conditions also influence the quality of the netting.

Thonet's furniture is manufactured with a high level of technical and craftsmanship in order to guarantee an appropriate level of quality. For example, each chair with a wickerwork covering is specially tested before leaving the factory.