Bistro chairs. A design classic in restaurants.

Number 14, also known as a bistro chair or Thonet chair; in honour of its creator; it is the most popular chair of the Thonet compoany, but also a reference in the manufacture of chairs; synonymous with good taste and quality.

Designed in 1859 by Michael Thonet himself; trained as a carpenter and cabinetmaker with his father, he revolutionized the furniture industry by presenting his manufacturing procedure from the curved wood system. Obtained by acting on it with steam and boiling liquid, as explained in the documentation provided to obtain its first patent.

Its appearance at no. 14 in the company’s first furniture catalogue gave it the name. Composed by six pieces of steam-curved wood, ten screws and two nuts, it is currently a classic in furniture design.

The wooden parts were made with beech slats, heated to 100oC, pressed in cast iron moulds, and dried at a temperature of around 70oC, about 20 hours.

An affordable price, a simple design compared to those of the time, a lower transport, since 36 chairs fit in boxes of one cubic meter and the possibility of being mass-produced by non-qualified workers, at a time when artisanal production had great difficulties and limitations; made the 14th chair one of the best-selling chair models in history.

Its raffia seat made them lighter and easier to clean, making it the ideal chair for the famous Parisian cafes of the time.

Gold medal at the Paris World’s Fair of 1867, 50 million units sold between 1860 and 1930 and 70 million to this day, support the 14th chair and its timeless design.

Thanks to the innovative ideas of the craftsman of German origin, who was able to take advantage of one of the physical properties of wood, until the unknown moment, flexibility, today we have pieces of great aesthetic value.

At Francisco Segarra we have chairs and stools with curved lines and renovated designs such as the William collection that combines wood with aged leather or the Stable collection that incorporates in its back a steel cross.

Versatile furniture in front of different decoration concepts, while fitting into some stereotypes of designs such as the spaces designed for taverns, English-style pubs, Viennese cafes, or vintage aesthetics.

Images of the William chair and the Stable chair manufactured by Francisco Segarra.

Images of the William stool and the Stable stool manufactured by Francisco Segarra.