When a name crosses two centuries without losing its lustre, it is not because of nostalgia. It is because it knows how to put its hands back into the material, change rhythm and remain recognisable. In the case of Thonet, the language of bent wood is not an archive, but a living alphabet, which today dialogues with designers capable of engaging new habits of use, hybrid spaces and a more essential aesthetic.
From bentwood to today: why Thonet continues to speak contemporary
Looking closely, the vocabulary is always the same: measured proportions, legible structure, comfort as an outcome of design. The difference lies in the cadence. The typologies shift between dining, lounge, hospitality and office; the finishes become softer, the upholstery cosier, the Vienna straw leaves room for textile variants when performance is needed. It is an evolution that respects the imprint of the classics, without musealising them.
JS . THONET: Collaboration with Jil Sander at Milan Design Week 2025
Within the framework of the Milan Design Week 2025, Thonet invites Jil Sander reinterpreting the cantilever chair S 64 by Marcel Breuer. The result is not an artificial make-up, but an inspired reinterpretation. The designer works on colour and structure, squeezes Bauhaus imagery into a contemporary discipline and puts everyday wear back at the centre. It is a gesture of editing, which consists in removing the superfluous to let the form breathe. An operation that confirms that the icon is not untouchable, but rewritable with respect.
What changes in the S 64 icon: proportions, finishes, palette
The silhouette remains immediately recognisable. What changes are the finishes, the selection of materials and a calibrated palette that takes the chair out of the enclosure of the “historical piece” and returns it to today's homes, restaurants and workspaces. It is not a tribute, it is a passing of the baton.
The 520 collection by Marco Dessí: padded comfort and visual lightness
If bent wood is a verb, the 520 by Marco Dessí combines it with the present. The beechwood frame dialogues with a continuous upholstery that fills the voids of the classic Thonet archetype. The chair becomes an invitation to sit longer, without weighing down the room. It is a question of balance: clean lines, declared comfort, discreet presence from home to restaurant.
Versions, contexts of use and materials
The 520 comes in several variations, with or without armrests; the upholstery can be textile or leather, the base maintains the brand's constructive clarity. It works at the dining table as in a bistro, in an informal meeting room or in a domestic lounge. It is a family feeling, not a single “chair”.
808 by Formstelle: the soft shelter between shell and opening
With the 808 lounge, Formstelle stages an interesting tension: an enveloping shell that protects and, at the same time, an explicit invitation to open up. The steel base (also tubular) and internal mechanisms adjust the seat and backrest, transforming relaxation into a tailor-made posture. Here the “Thonet touch” is not a quotation, but an attitude: technical clarity and emotional comfort meeting halfway.
The role of tubular steel and customisation
From the Bauhaus onwards, the tubular steel is a piece of the brand's DNA. On the 808 it becomes structure and visual rhythm, with the possibility of customising upholstery and finishes for hotels, lobbies and living rooms where the chair must speak softly but remain unforgettable.
Where to see Thonet today: private homes, hospitality, offices
Thonet's contemporary vocabulary lives well in hybrid contexts: from home tables to restaurants with high tables, to offices seeking a balance between representation and warmth. In our magazine you will find an example in the workplace with the Triodos Bank project, where the grammar of the brand fits into a bright and sustainable interior. For a retrospective look at the myth, re-read the in-depth look at 200 years and if you want to enter a designer's workshop, the interview with Sebastian Herkner on 118.
