Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH (“GTV”) is part of a great European design history that merges tradition and innovation, renewing its style lines through continuous project research. Gebrüder Thonet is a protagonist in the passage from craftsmanship to industry, thanks to an approach that anticipates modern design and has contributed to the definition of the visual grammar of contemporaneousness.
Targa Sofa Design, Design by GamFratesi
Innovation Which Enabled the Production of Wood Furniture in Large Quantities
Invited by Metternich to develop his own patent in Austria, Michael Thonet settled in Vienna, where he founded the “Gebrüder Thonet” company in 1853, involving his five children in the company. In the capital of the Habsburg Empire, Michael Thonet moved from the use of laminated glued wood to that of steam-bent wooden rods, an industrial chemical and mechanical process which permitted the production of wood furniture in large quantities. He immediately supported this with a distribution and sales network that was capable of penetrating any market.
Chair N. 1, Design by Michael Thonet
“N. 1” Chair
In this period, representative design products such as the “N. 1” chair, designed for the famous Schwarzenberg Palace in Vienna and gaining fame as ‘typically’ Thonet, were born. Countless other models derived from it, culminating in chair N. 14, of which more than 50 million pieces were produced between 1850 and 1930. Aesthetic and manufacturing modernism is also expressed in the global positioning of the product: the high technology and production standards enabled the company to create extremely versatile furniture, combining a refined style with broad distribution.
Chair N. 14, Design by Michael Thonet
The historic collaborations with the most important architects of the Vienna school were important: Otto Wagner commissioned the design of the Postsparkasse furnishings, and Adolf Loos designed the chair for the Café Museum.
Postsparkasse Furnishings, Design by Otto Wagner
Today, GTV renews its relationship with the world of design by conceiving a new phase of its history together with designers who are preeminent on the international stage. It is a company vision that confirms the vocation of GTV for project research, the link between its own past and the future, with the goal of continuing on the road outlined by tradition through innovation.
Ring Dining Table, Design by R&D Department
The „Thonet“ Museum
In Friedberg, Styria, the „Thonet“ museum, owned by GTV, is a benchmark for its history, where testimonies, curiosities, and the most representative original parts of the company find the place to be. A fascinating reality that through these icons of style tells the company’s deep passion for the solid bentwood.
Café Museum Chair, Design by Adolf Loos
GTV is owned by Moschini Spa since 2003. All products created by GTV are characterized by the new trademark Wiener GTV Design.
Wiener Stuhl, Design by August Thonet
Cover Photo – Chair N.0, Design by Front
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3 Color Tips – Introducing Green into the Living Room
