Vintage Bentwood Chairs
It’s hard to overstate the importance of seating when it comes to furnishing your home. Not only do chairs have an obvious practical purpose, but they can completely change the way a room looks and feels with their design. Because of this, choosing the right seating for your home is absolutely vital. For the best results in your home, you should seek out seating which doesn’t just look great, but also has its own distinct personality. This is exactly what you get with bentwood armchairs, thanks to their unique manufacture and design.An icon of design since Michel Thonet introduced the use of bentwood into the armchair design, these pieces are often seen lining the streets outside cafés of European capitals. Favoured by interior designers to this day, the simple yet characterful design of a bentwood armchair is as enduring today as it was in the late 1700s.Explore our extensive collection of bentwood seating here at Vinteriorand shop with confidence from trusted professional sellers today.
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How are bentwood armchairs crafted?
Crafting bentwood chairs is a unique manufacturing process which involves wetting wood by soaking or steaming it and then bending it into curved shapes and patterns before allowing it to harden once more. The process – taken from the traditional creation of bentwood boxes by the indigenous First Nations of the North American west coast – is frequently used to create light seating such as dining chairs, armchairs and rocking chairs.
Designer brands such as Gebrüder Thonet became widely recognised for their use of the bentwood technique, with Thonet being responsible for many of the late 19th century’s most popular seating designs including their iconic No. 214 chair and bistro chair. This deceptively simple chair was part of a wider collection of bentwood seating, with each piece using the process to create elegantly curved chair backs out of woven cane or palm.
How to style vintage bentwood armchairs into your home
Bentwood’s popularity had maintained throughout the 20th and into the 21st century, and this is no surprise. The strikingly sleek elegance the method provides has resulted in some of the most instantly recognisable chairs of the last 150 years.<
Part of the charm of bentwood seating is its ability to work within a variety of settings, thanks to its simple yet effective design. Of course, these laid-back yet luxurious chairs are perfect additions to any dining room with the iconic Thonet dining chairs a prime example, but they can also be used as an attractive desk chair, kitchen seating or even as decadent outdoor furniture. Try pairing them with an equally sleek wood furniture for an overall aesthetic that is pleasing in its minimalism. A set of bentwood chairs placed around a mid-century dining table instantly says luxury without the need for ornate flourish.
Why shop bentwood armchairs at Vinterior?
Seeking out bentwood pieces by traipsing around your local market – with no guarantee of success – is now thankfully a thing of the past. Vinterior is the largest online marketplace for characterful antique, vintage, retro and mid-century furniture, all available in one place from the comfort of your own home. Our collection features many thousands of pieces, each one unique with its own story to tell. We carefully select only the most premium furniture to feature in our collection, which includes pieces from more than one thousand trusted sellers and celebrated designers.
We love all things vintage at Vinterior, but we also like to keep one eye on current furniture trends. There are many dynamic items of furniture being created today, and as such you can find a huge array of contemporary furniture pieces in our collection, boasting the same quality craftsmanship and character that you would expect from the finest antiques.
Ready to put your feet up in style? Then it’s time to get inspired. Enjoy browsing the Vinterior collection of bentwood seating and other items today, and explore the life of Michael Thonet - the visionary bentwood design master - to find exactly what your house needs to feel like home.