Thonet tubular steel furniture: a collection of timeless value expanded with a contemporary interpretation

Thonet tubular steel furniture: a collection of timeless value expanded with a
contemporary interpretation For Thonet, imm cologne 2014 is entirely under the sign of one material: tubular steel. Since the 1930s the traditional company in Frankenberg/Hesse has been producing the minimalistic furniture of the renowned designers Mart Stam, Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as well as numerous in-house designs. At the time, tubular steel furniture represented a new attitude in architecture; they are considered a revolutionary achievement of design history today and are still popular bestsellers. Thonet's tubular steel collection impresses with its many icons - and now with new and colored versions: a classic heritage that remains familiar and yet surprises with a new look.

Thonet sets trends with seven fresh colors

Red, white, black, chocolate brown, warm gray, gray-green and mustard yellow are the colors in which the tubular steel frames of the Mart Stam classic S 43, the lounge chair S 411, the Pure Material versions of Marcel Breuer's chairs S 32 and S 64, the side table series B 9 and B 97 and the
new desk S 1200 are lacquered. "You have to change to remain the same," the Dutch trend expert Monique van der Reijden is certain: "Always reinventing oneself is a trendy subject, and this is precisely what Thonet has done with its design classics by presenting the tubular steel frames in a 'state-of-the-art' color palette." For the development of the seven colors, the Thonet design unit assured that all colors complement the typical Thonet surfaces in wood and stain colors as well as the textile and leather covers of the furniture - conscious of trends but with durability in mind.

New products, special versions and the Gallery of Icons: the Thonet tubular steel collection in January 2014

In addition to the new colors and numerous classics, Thonet presents other new products of all different kinds: developed in-house, the desk S 1200, which was designed specifically for use in home offices, as well as the re-edition of a historical piece of furniture, the multi-faceted sideboard program S 290. The shelf and cabinet furniture is available in four different versions that offer countless possibilities when combined. Another highlight are the side table group B 9 by Marcel Breuer and the table set B 97 without back legs, which come to market with glass tops. In addition, the "Thonet Collect" series presents the elegant cantilever chair S 533 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in a special buffalo lace leather edition limited to 50 pieces. In Cologne, Thonet also presents the club chair S 35 by Marcel Breuer in fine leather, which has once again been added to the program range. With the expansion of the tubular steel collection, Thonet underscores its claim of caring for and strengthening the company's heritage with icons, contemporary variations as well as new products to take it into the present and future. Monique van der Reijden's assessment: "With regard to furniture, I perceive a clear trend that will benefit design classics - new or vintage. We appreciate the quality and sustainability of a well-tried and proven form."

The revolution of floating lightness: Thonet tubular steel furniture

The company Thonet recognized the potential of the innovative tubular steel furniture as a pioneer: by industrially producing and distributing the innovative pieces by designers Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Mart Stam and numerous in-house designs since the early 1930s it became the world's largest tubular steel manufacturer. In the 1920s some of the most important designers of the time began experimenting with the innovative bendable tubular steel. The elementary and functional formal language of the first tubular steel furniture complied with the idea of the New Objectivity in architecture and everyday culture. The furniture type of the chair without back legs, better known as the "cantilever", was especially important: today, it is considered one of the most outstanding design innovations of the 20th century and will be in the spotlight at imm cologne 2014.

The current Thonet tubular steel collection includes:

B 10, Marcel Breuer, unknown

B 9, Marcel Breuer, 1925/26

S 33, Mart Stam, 1926

S 533, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1927

B 22, Thonet, 1928

S 35, Marcel Breuer, 1928/29

S 32 / S 64, Marcel Breuer, 1929/30

B 108, Thonet, 1930/31

B 109, Thonet, 1930/31

S 43, Mart Stam, 1931

S 411, Thonet, 1932