While at imm cologne and the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the focus was on furniture for creating holistic living environments, at Orgatec (25-29th October 2016) Thonet concentrates on comprehensive working worlds: from co-working office spaces with a 'living room' feel to home offices with a high standard of design and conference rooms with a 'make yourself at home' ambience. At its booth in hall 9.1 (A48 – B49) the Frankenberg-based company presents both new products and classics for the most diversified solutions and uses.
Under the established motto "Residential Workspace" Thonet introduces the new and versatile CANOR acoustic partition alongside the extension of the club chair S 830, which now offers even further diversity for lounge and lobby areas, with an optional writing panel and new versions of the frame. Also under the spotlight at Orgatec: the conference chair S 95 with castors and tilt mechanism, and an update of the folding S 1195 Evo table. In addition, an innovative system for interactive seat and row numbering defines a new standard in the conference market.
Sound insulation, room divider, bulletin board and storage – Thonet's new acoustic partition, CANOR, blends many key functions. Thanks to numerous customisation options, the new acoustic partition can adapt to a wide range of requirements and environments. Courtesy of its special upholstery and textile cover, it absorbs sound, enabling a more peaceful and productive working atmosphere. A variety of fabric and wood finish choices allows CANOR to be modified to individual tastes and settings.
The new displays for electronic seat numbering integrated to the backrests of Thonet chairs represent a significant innovation for auditorium seating: in collaboration with Mauser Sitzkultur, Thonet has developed a flexible radio-controlled numbering system. This proven technology has been adapted from the retail industry and is related to supermarket pricing systems. After setting up rows of chairs, individual chairs can be localised, configured and programmed with the necessary row/seat information with the assistance of a high-quality handheld scanner. Individual texts and logos can also be displayed as an added option. The displays are centrally accessed via a server, which can be as simple as a notebook style pc. The position of each display is shown on the server in a schematic seating plan. Each display (1.6 inches in size) can be individually accessed from the server – even during the course of an event – and individually adjusted. Use of the new numbering system is possible with all Thonet upholstered chairs.
At Orgatec, the striking club chair range S 830 is presented in new versions offering even more variety, while keeping faith with the Thonet tradition: in addition to the previously available base plate and pedestal model and the tubular steel four-legged frames (S 832 and S 831), the range now also includes the 835 with bentwood legs, the S 834 with a cantilever tubular steel frame and a seat height adjusted for dining tables, and the four-legged cross base S 833. Now the new writing panel is a further highlight, making the S 830 a flexible self-contained workstation. The compact, swivel panel is mounted onto the seat shell – either to the right or the left. Its teardrop-shaped surface is designed for an A4 format and available in an easy-to-care-for HPL laminate finish (in white, grey or black).
The sporty and elegant conference chair S 95 also undergoes further evolution: an integrated tilt mechanism ensures a more flexible posture and thus a less tiring seated experience during long conferences. The automatic return mechanism of the S 95 swivel chair version is also a new enhancement, allowing the seat to automatically return to its original position when the user gets up. Various frame versions and numerous details for individualisation – from the upholstery and armrests to sophisticated inlays – creating a family of chairs that adjusts to the most diverse environments and tastes.
The S 1195 by Delphin Design is a lightweight folding table that keeps its practical function discreet at first sight. For 15 years the folding table, characterised by its clear, reserved aesthetics and high quality, has been an inherent part of the Thonet portfolio. It has now been refined with the addition of two further frame versions that are also positioned to the ends of the table top, thus guaranteeing ample leg room. The chrome-plated round tube version and mitred round or rectangular tube version are efficiently space saving as they can be folded, stacked together and neatly stored away. Assembly and disassembly is simple and can be easily handled by one person. The table top is available with a melamine resin coating or, upon request, in other materials.
The unique success story of Thonet began with the work of master carpenter Michael Thonet. Since establishing his first workshop in Boppard on the River Rhine in 1819, the name Thonet has stood for high-quality, innovative and elegant furniture. The breakthrough came with the iconic chair No. 14, the so-called Vienna Coffee House Chair: the pioneering technique of bending solid beech wood for the first time enabled the mass production of chairs. The second milestone in design history was the tubular steel furniture by the famous Bauhaus architects Mart Stam, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer in the 1930s. At the time, Thonet was the world's largest producer of these tubular steel furniture designs, which are considered timeless today.
For the company today, the continuous process of innovation stands in the foreground alongside a focus on tradition and fine craftsmanship. Thonet collaborates with renowned national and international designers – in addition, some of the furniture is designed by the in-house Thonet Design Team. All of the furniture is produced in the company-owned manufacturing facility, and, following the motto "Individuality is our standard", custom-tailored solutions are part of everyday life in Frankenberg. Michael Erdelt is the Managing Director of Thonet GmbH at the corporate head offices and production site Frankenberg/Eder (Germany). The descendants of Michael Thonet, the fifth and sixth generations, are actively involved with the company's business as partners and sales managers.