118 Chair

Overview

The 118 is a wooden chair by Sebastian Herkner, listed on Thonet's product page with the year 2018. Thonet calls it "a classic wooden chair" and says it adds subtle elegance to any dining table or restaurant. The plain 118 has a canework seat; the page lists moulded plywood (118 M) and tacked-on flat upholstery (118 SP) as seat alternatives.

Construction

Thonet describes legs that are rounded on the outer side and straight on the inner side, a shape it relates to the horseshoe form of the seat. The bentwood seat frame and the handcrafted canework seat refer to the 214, which Thonet calls the archetype of a Thonet chair. The Thonet magazine says the frame is bent by hand from a single piece of wood.

Specifications

• Dimensions (118): W 42 cm x D 50 cm x H 80 cm, seat height 46 cm
• Weight of the 118: 4 kg
• 118 M (moulded plywood seat): same width, depth and height, 4.2 kg
• 118 SP (upholstered seat): seat height 47 cm, 4.8 kg
• 118 F (with armrests): W 56 cm x D 50 cm x H 80 cm, armrest height 66 cm, 4.8 kg
• Made in: Frankenberg, Germany

Reducing a chair to few parts

Thonet places the 118 in the line of Michael Thonet's mid-19th-century principle of reducing a chair to the fewest possible elements. According to the page, Sebastian Herkner took this one step further and added refined details that make the design less dominant and, in Thonet's words, more distinguished. The press text calls it Herkner's contemporary interpretation of the "Frankfurt Chair", and the magazine says the chair is also known as the "Offenbach chair".

Image source: Thonet — 118 Chair · © Thonet and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy

From imm cologne 2018

Thonet's press text says the range premiered at imm cologne 2018; a later press release dates the first launch to early 2018. The 214, the Coffee House Chair, is named as the direct relative that gives the 118 its connection to tradition.