What is a bistro chair?
The bistro chair is also known as the Thonet bentwood chair or the Model 14 bentwood chair and is known as the most popular and influential design in the history of furniture. The bistro chair was designed by Michael Thonet (born in Prussia in 1796 and deceased in 1871) in 1859 and is still manufactured today by the Gebruder Thornet company as Model 214 and remains one of the world’s most successful commercial products.
At the time of the bistro chair’s design, much of the furniture was made from flat pieces of wood with numerous joints that were disguised by elaborate carvings, engravings and ornamentation. Thornet preferred to use more economical methods of design such as bending the wood in oval shapes to create three dimensional bends. Thornet’s design breakthrough came as he tried to eliminate glues to hold his designs in shape, since the glue would dissolve in hotter, damper climates. The solution Thornet found was to use a single piece of steamed wood and a metal strap that would back the wood without cracking it. Once the wood dried, its shape would be held and screws could then be used to assemble the chair rather than glue. The assembly process was much simpler than the standards of the day, which allowed for the mass, commercial production of the chair design. The mass production gave the chair its “bistro chair” moniker, since it then appeared at numerous bistros and restaurants.
The bistro chair was very popular with artists as the chair appeared in paintings by Renoir and Picasso always had one present in his studio. The bistro chair is admired for its simplicity and it is now manufactured by such a variety of companies, that it is impossible to calculate how many have actually been produced.
The bistro chair is a versatile chair that is used in restaurants, cafés and residential homes around the world. It fits comfortably in every era, and it even ages well. According to some, as the chair matures and the structure loosens, it becomes softer and molds itself into an even nicer piece of furniture. Though most manufacturers have yet to improve upon or even replicate the original wooden chair, many have produced copycat styles using plastic or metal. These chairs are used both indoors and outdoors as functional and stylish seating options.
