In 2025, Thonet commemorates 100 years since the Bauhaus moved from Weimar to Dessau, a pivotal moment in modern design history that continues to shape contemporary furniture. The anniversary highlights the Bauhaus's radical ideas around form, function and industrial materials, principles that remain deeply embedded in Thonet's DNA.
© ThonetMarcel Breuer (left) and Bauhaus Dessau (right).
A defining innovation of the Bauhaus era was the experimental use of tubular steel. Designers such as Marcel Breuer and Mart Stam, both of whom taught at the Bauhaus, began exploring the material beyond its functional applications in hospitals and transport. Breuer was among the first to translate tubular steel into furniture for domestic interiors, laying the foundation for a design language that still resonates today. Tubular steel furniture has since become almost synonymous with the Bauhaus movement, particularly through the iconic cantilever chair.
One of the earliest milestones in this evolution was the B 9 H stool, designed for the canteen of the Bauhaus building in Dessau. Still part of Thonet's portfolio a century later, the stool soon led to the development of the B 9 nesting tables. With their continuous tubular steel frame and minimalist tabletop, these pieces embody Bauhaus ideals of reduction, transparency and flexibility. Designed to slide seamlessly into one another, they allow visual openness and movement within a space, concepts that remain strikingly contemporary.
© Thonet
The Bauhaus legacy also lives on in Thonet's modern reinterpretations. Designs such as the S 243 chair by Frank Rettenbacher combine tubular steel with moulded plywood, offering a lightweight, stackable solution suited to today's living and working environments. Meanwhile, the JS . THONET signature collection by Jil Sander revisits classic Bauhaus steel furniture through a refined, fashion-led lens. Her reworking of the iconic S 64 cantilever chair introduces luxurious finishes, from high-gloss lacquered wood to finely tuned leather and cane details, inspired by grand pianos, classic cars and architectural metalwork.
To further mark the anniversary, Thonet is also launching a limited promotion tied to the B 9 tables, reinforcing the cultural significance of these Bauhaus originals.
A century on, Thonet's Bauhaus-inspired designs demonstrate how modernist principles—clarity, innovation and honest use of materials—continue to inform furniture that feels both timeless and relevant in contemporary interiors.
More information:
Thonet
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