S 220 Moulded Plywood Chair

Overview

The S 220 is a stackable moulded plywood chair that Thonet credits to Sam Hecht and Kim Colin of Industrial Facility with the year 2022. The page headline calls it "Thonetology: the S 220 moulded plywood chair". The plain S 220 has no armrests; the S 220 F adds optional bentwood armrests, and the page also lists upholstered versions (SP, SPF), swivel versions (DRW) and the S 220 H barstool.

Construction

An ergonomic seat shell of moulded plywood is fixed to a lightweight tubular steel frame. Thonet describes an hourglass-shaped shell with some give and a smoothly rounded front edge that the designers call a "waterfall edge", which avoids pressure points and picks up the radii of the tubular steel frame. The page says the chair is available in a range of different woods and colours.

Specifications

• Dimensions (S 220): W 49 cm x D 54 cm x H 81 cm, seat height 46 cm
• Net weight: 4.4 kg
• S 220 SP (tacked-on flat upholstery): seat height 47 cm, 5.1 kg
• S 220 F (with armrests): W 57 cm x D 54 cm x H 81 cm, armrest height 70 cm, 5 kg
• Made in: Frankenberg, Germany

Thonetology

Thonet's press release of October 2022 introduces the S 220 as the work of Sam Hecht and Kim Colin, whom it describes as a British-American duo, and says the range reflects the company's formal, material and technical heritage. The design takes the familiar lines of the 214 bentwood chair and, per Thonet, reinvents it as a stackable, material-efficient moulded plywood model. The press text says the chair will be launched at the Orgatec office furniture trade show.

Image source: Thonet — S 220 Moulded Plywood 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

Hecht on the 214

In the release Sam Hecht names the 214's "wide shoulders with a slim waist" as part of its formal heritage, and describes the S 220 as a gentle transition from bentwood to moulded plywood and tubular steel.