Thinking round the bend
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381931)
Rockingham, Australia
March 23, 2026 3:51am CST
Another photo I found in my Salzburg, Austria, file was this of a bentwood chair. The notice said that the German Master carpenter Michael Thonet founded the furniture company, Brothers Thonet in Vienna over 200 years ago. He is credited with developing the bentwood method whereby beech wood bars were moistened over water vapour, then moulded into curved shapes and patterns according to the item being made.
Thonet’s iconic No. 14 chair is still made today and just as popular as it was back in the early 1900s. Wikipedia says the chairs were/are made from six pieces of steam-bent timber, ten screws and two nuts and could be mass-produced by unskilled workers.
I remember bentwood chairs being very common in Western Australia. At one time it was the fashion for those ladies into craftwork to upholster a bentwood chair to create a very nice bedroom chair to place in front of a dressing-table.
13 people like this
13 responses
@DaddyEvil (174320)
• United States
23 Mar
That looks like one of the chairs that went with the first dinner table I ever bought. I liked them but the seats wore out too fast.
4 people like this
@toniganzon (77120)
• Philippines
24 Mar
My grandma had those with her dining table. I remember seeing them there there when I was a kid.
2 people like this
@crossbones27 (52905)
• Mojave, California
23 Mar
Its very nice. I wonder how strong that netting is? I broke a couple of chairs plopping in them. I am not a big guy but you know like most men, we not very delicate. 
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (52905)
• Mojave, California
27 Mar
@JudyEv That's smart Thinking right there.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222285)
• United States
25 Mar
Very nice chair. I could never sit on it because my weight would break through the seat. lol
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222285)
• United States
26 Mar
@JudyEv Yes, those plastic chairs are very dicey.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (208801)
• United States
23 Mar
Sadly, they don't look too comfortable.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (77120)
• Philippines
24 Mar
I remember seeing those in my grandma's house when I was a kid.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381931)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Mar
I like the woven seat. Some just had holes in a wooden base.
@pitsipeahie (5758)
•
23 Mar
It looks nice, but it’s easy to get damaged because of the material used. That used to be one of our 4 dining chairs. We already get rid of the other 3 since they worn out and had holes. Instead of having them re-caned, we just replaced them with solid wood chairs. That one is the only one left because it’s not used as much, so it’s still intact. But even the edges are starting to come apart, not sure if it’s visible in the photo.
1 person likes this
@freelancermariagrace (29342)
• Philippines
24 Mar
I’ve seen one in a restaurant with a rustic vibe.
1 person likes this
