Michael Thonet

It was much faster and also less expensive method compared to the ones his competitors used. They worked with cut solid wood and they achieved the required shapes by gluing the cut pieces together. However, as other cabinet makers already bent wood when producing fellies, windows or furniture at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, the first Thonet´s patent application in Prussia was refused – missing “innovation value” was the reason.

Finally, things moved by pure coincidence. Michael Thonet realised that he had to present his ideas at places where someone could be interested. That is why he kept visiting various exhibitions. Actually, it was in 1841 in Koblenz where his furniture enchanted Chancellor Metternich who invited him to Vienna and offered him support.

Michael hesitated; finally he presented his work to the Lower Austria trading association almost a year later. However, as he did not want to reveal all mystiques of his idea, he did not obtain the patent again. Thonet lost a lot of money scrambling for the patent and so finally, he and his sons had to start working for a Viennese cabinet maker and parquet producer, Carl Leistner. With him he partook in the Liechtenstein Palace furnishing.

In 1849 Michael Thonet founded his own company in Vienna and his catalogue presented more and more perfect chairs. The number one was so called Schwarzenberg chair (it was intended for the Schwarzenberg Palace), number four was a design for a very modern Viennese cafeteria Daum. This contract finally allowed Michael Thonet to set off on a journey to trading wholesale customers.

His successes followed quickly one another afterwards. In 1851 he was awarded with the bronze medal at the World exhibition in London and more importantly he obtained the desired patent for himself and his five sons. Although he had 14 children (13 according to some sources) only five sons lasted out the adult age.

In 1853 he assigned the company to his sons but he retained representation of his under age youngest Jacob. In 1855 the company Gebrüder Thonet finally obtained “common factory permission” and thus it could start furniture production with absolutely no restrictions of cabinet-makers´ guild. However, the Viennese cabinet makers did not sit idle and kept attacking validity of the patent.

They could not stand the successful “non-Austrian”. However, the problem settled down with the Austria citizenship and especially the most important step in Thonet´s life – moving to Korycany in Moravia and subsequent expansion to Bystrice pod Hostynem.

There he found everything he needed – beech woods, labour and inspiration. Actually, it was Korycany where the chair no. 14 was born, never surpassed in its simplicity and elegance. Its production was later transferred to Bystrice pod Hostynem.