A place where wood has been bent for 165 years
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Published
30 Apr, 2026 -
Text by
Adam Štěch -
917 words
5 minutes
For 165 years, bentwood furniture has been made in Bystřice pod Hostýnem in the same place, using the same technology, with a continuity that has no parallel in European furniture making.
Here, bending wood has never been a decoration or a nostalgic gesture. From the very beginning, it was a technology – a search for lightness, strength, efficiency, and long service life. It was precisely this approach that enabled the creation of iconic chairs that became part of everyday life, often so natural that we hardly notice their origin.
This document returns to the foundations: to the place where bentwood furniture has been created since 1861, to the people who pass on their knowledge from generation to generation, and to the decisions that give this technology meaning even today.
4. The Arrival of Modernism
(1918-1930):
Bentwood furniture gained a significant competitor in the form of avant-garde steel furniture. Its innovative construction was introduced in the second half of the 1920s by architects and designers such as Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and others.
They presented an entirely new way of sitting, which soon captivated not only the whole European avant-garde, but also became part of the THONET-MUNDUS portfolio. Steel furniture for Thonet’s French division was also designed by architects Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand, who were active in Paris. Although Le Corbusier promoted visions of progressive modern living, he also believed in timeless design and proven forms, which for him represented a perfection that no longer needed improvement.
Alongside objects such as a pipe or a bottle, this also included the elegant
Chair No. 30, which the famous Swiss-French architect admired and frequently
used in interiors. Its simple and elegant curved armrests fulfilled
Corbusier’s idea of honest, functional, and timeless design.
3. Bentwood Furniture Conquers the World
(1861-1918):
In 1913, the Bystřice furniture factory employed more than two thousand workers, who were capable of producing over half a million chairs in a single year. The best-selling model was, of course, Chair No. 14.
International presentations also played an important role. For example, in 1867,
the company Gebrüder Thonet presented the so-called Demonstration Chair at the
World Exhibition in Paris. This experimental prototype was made from just two
bent rods and showcased the ingenuity of bentwood furniture technology to
customers.
2. Brilliant idea
(1841-1861):
Although Michael Thonet had a number of predecessors and competitors, from the mid-19th century onwards he succeeded in mastering industrial production and trade in seating furniture. An entirely new industrial sector emerged, based on the revolutionary technology of bending beech rods.
Michael Thonet discovered that working with bent beech rods offered far more possibilities than working with bent laminated veneer. By steaming the rods, they could be easily shaped and fixed into the desired form using a metal strap, without the risk of cracking. The surroundings of Bystřice pod Hostýnem seemed to be the ideal location for establishing and expanding Thonet’s empire. The area offered abundant beech forests, inexpensive labour, and proximity to the railway.
Chair No. 14 changed the history of modern furniture. It became the ultimate
essence of simplicity, efficiency, and elegance – qualities made possible by
the technology of bentwood. Although a similar chair form had previously been
introduced by the Viennese company Danhauser, Michael Thonet, as with other
models, adapted Chair No. 14 for industrial mass production. By the late 1860s,
its production had been perfected.
1. The birth of a legend
(1819–1841):
In the 19th century, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the division of labor, the ways in which products were made changed fundamentally – including furniture, which, thanks to ingenious technological innovations, began to be mass-produced. From 1861, this was also the case in the small Moravian town of Bystřice pod Hostýnem.
The most significant of Thonet’s early bentwood products became the so-called
Boppard chair. Its concept dates back to around 1836 and is based on bending
laminated veneer. However, Thonet was by no means the first. Bent veneer had
already been used in furniture by pioneers such as Jean-Joseph Chapuis and
Samuel Gragg three decades earlier. Thonet, however, significantly refined the
laminated wood technique.
The book ±160 years
The Czech/English book ±160 years describes, across 259 pages, the historical and social events that shaped the development of bentwood furniture from Bystřice pod Hostýnem. This richly illustrated publication was written by Czech art curator Adam Štěch and published with the support of Ton.
Book author
Adam Štěch
