thonet no.14 chair (1860)
ome objects are so ubiquitous, it’s odd to think they had to be invented. Though you’ve probably sipped thousands of flat whites from a simple, curved-back chair like this one, it didn’t just emerge fully formed from the primordial ooze. It’s the result of years of hard graft (including bankruptcy) by German-Austrian cabinetmaker Michael Thonet, who developed a game-changing technique for bending wood using hot steam (instead of carving it by hand). Thonet’s breakthrough made it quick and easy to mass-produce and transport sturdy, affordable and lightweight furniture, like an early version of IKEA (minus the Swedish meatballs). In 1853, Thonet
