Image source: Thonet — 218 Bistro Chair
© Thonet and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
218 Bistro Chair
Thonet's bistro chair, the hairpin-back model no. 18 of 1876, again made in Frankenberg.
430 × 840 × 520 mm
1876
Germany
Official product information
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Description
Overview
The 218 is a bentwood chair that Thonet's page credits to Gebrüder Thonet, 1876: the successor of the historic model no. 18, whose back carries a striking hairpin loop. Thonet calls it the famous bistro chair and an icon, and says that no. 18 is produced once more in Frankenberg under the number 218. The version measured on the page has a canework seat.
Construction
The frame is solid beech, bent into shape, and the seat is canework on a synthetic support mesh. The programme adds the 218 M (moulded plywood) and the 218 P (upholstered); the brochure also shows a dark melange canework.
Specifications
- Dimensions (218): W 43 cm x D 52 cm x H 84 cm
- Made in: Frankenberg, Germany
- Weight: 2.7 kg
- Seat height: 46 cm
Story
The export chair
Thonet writes that model no. 18 was first made in 1876 and was, along with the chairs no. 14 and no. 56, one of the bestselling models in its production. It was known as the export chair of Gebrüder Thonet and was often sold to restaurants and cafés, particularly in South America. Taken apart, 36 chairs fitted into one sea chest, which allowed large numbers to be shipped on long journeys.
Image source: Thonet — 218 Bistro 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
Back in the range
The brochure explains that no. 18 returns to the Thonet portfolio, in a clear and reduced aesthetic, as the 218. It is again produced in Frankenberg. A close-up of the black 218 on the brochure shows the canework seat and the Thonet badge under the seat frame.
