Bentwood Chairs: How They Are Made and Why Cafés Still Choose Them
Bentwood chairs are made by steaming solid beech until it is pliable, bending it into a mould with a metal strip along the outer face, and drying it so it keeps the curve. Cafés still choose them because they are light, slim and recognisable, a formula proven since Thonet’s No. 14 chair of 1859.
Key takeaways
- Bentwood is solid beech bent along the grain after steaming, not carved or laminated from veneers.
- Thonet’s current process steams beech for about six hours and dries bent parts in the mould for two days.
- The No. 14 chair used six bent parts, ten screws and two nuts, and more than 50 million were sold by 1930.
- For commercial use, specify the seat type, finish, fire standard for any upholstery and strength evidence for the exact model.
Walk into almost any independent café or brasserie and you will find a curved timber chair with a hooped back. The bentwood design is more than 160 years old, yet it keeps appearing in new fit-outs alongside marble tables and tiled floors. Operators like the look, but the reasons it works in hospitality are practical too. This article explains how bentwood chairs are made, why the No. 14 became the archetypal café chair, and what to check when you specify bentwood restaurant and café chairs for a commercial interior.
What is a bentwood chair?
A bentwood chair is built mainly from solid timber rods that have been softened with steam and bent into curves, rather than cut from wide boards or carved. The technique is closely tied to Michael Thonet (1796–1871), a German cabinet maker who began bending wood for furniture in the 1830s. The V&A records that his early method bent stacks of glued veneers, and that the breakthrough came in 1855, when adding steam and a metal strip along the length allowed solid wood to be bent in a similar way (V&A). The family firm, Gebrüder Thonet, had been established in Vienna in 1853, and the patents gave it a virtual monopoly on production.
How are bentwood chairs made?
The process has changed less than you might expect. Thonet’s own description of current production sets out the main steps (Thonet):
- Select the timber. Beech is used because its short fibres make it very stable and suited to bending.
- Steam under pressure. Rods are steamed at over 100 °C for about six hours until saturated and highly elastic.
- Fit a metal strip. A strip is fixed to the outer face of the rod to stop the outer fibres stretching and tearing.
- Bend into the mould. Specialist benders turn the rod into a mould; Thonet notes at least two benders for one backrest and four for another.
- Dry in the mould. The bent part stays in its mould in a drying chamber for two days, until little moisture remains.
- Sand, assemble and finish. Parts are sanded smooth, assembled with the other components, then stained or lacquered.
Thonet’s materials page adds that pressurised steam makes the cellulose more elastic and softens the lignin, so the wood can bend along the grain, and that the metal band absorbs tensile forces that would otherwise break it (Thonet). The historic method for the No. 14 was similar: beech slats heated to 100 °C, pressed into cast-iron moulds and dried at about 70 °C for 20 hours, according to Wikipedia’s account of the chair (Wikipedia).
Why did the No. 14 become the café chair?
The No. 14, introduced in 1859, solved a commercial problem as much as a design one. It was built from six pieces of steam-bent wood, assembled with ten screws and two nuts, and later versions added two diagonal braces between seat and back. Its seats were often woven cane or palm, partly because the holes let spilled liquid drain away. About 50 million were sold between 1859 and 1930, it won a gold medal at the 1867 Paris World Exposition, and Le Corbusier later praised it as uniquely elegant and practical.
Production was organised for volume. The V&A describes Thonet’s aim of making as many models as possible from as few parts as possible, with parts packed in boxes and assembled by distributors or retailers. A factory opened in 1857 at Koritschan, in the Moravian forests, close to a supply of beech; output rose from about 10,000 chairs a year then to 1,810,000 chairs in 1913.
Why cafés still choose bentwood chairs
The same qualities that suited Viennese coffee houses suit a modern café. Bentwood frames are slim, so they look light in a small room and leave space visible around tables. A published contract example from Warner Contract Furniture lists a bentwood dining chair at 420 mm wide and 530 mm deep with a 460 mm seat (Warner Contract Furniture), a compact footprint for tight layouts. Bentwood also works with a wide range of interiors, from marble and brass to painted panelling, and the timber can be stained to suit the scheme.
There are practical advantages for staff too. A light chair is easy to lift onto a table at closing time, and a screw-assembled frame can be checked and tightened rather than reglued. Matching high seating, such as a bentwood bar stool, lets a café carry the same look from tables to counter.
What to check when specifying bentwood chairs
A bentwood chair for hospitality should be specified like any other contract chair. The main decisions are summarised below.
| Seat option | Advantages | Things to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Woven cane | Light, traditional look, lets spills drain | Can be damaged by sharp objects; agree a repair approach |
| Timber or plywood seat | Wipes clean, hard-wearing, simple to refinish | Firmer; guests may stay for shorter periods |
| Upholstered seat pad | More comfort for longer sittings | Fire standard and fabric wear rating must be specified |
Strength and test evidence
BS EN 16139:2025 sets safety, strength and durability requirements for non-domestic seating for adults up to 110 kg (BSI). If your brief calls for test evidence, ask which standard, edition and level it covers and whether it relates to the exact model. Check the pre-production sample for firm joints, even finish around the bends and level feet.
Finish, fire and stacking
- Finish: timber is stained to an approved sample; agree a sheen level and ask how the finish handles your cleaning products.
- Upholstery: for seat pads, name the fire standard (for example BS 5852 Crib 5 or BS EN 1021-1/2) and confirm the requirement with your fire risk assessor.
- Stacking: ask whether the design stacks. If not, plan for chairs to be lifted onto tables or stored on the floor.
- Floor protection: specify glides suited to your floor finish.
Caring for bentwood chairs in daily service
Bentwood needs little special care, but a simple routine extends its life. Wipe frames with a damp cloth rather than soaking them, dry spills promptly, and avoid leaving chairs against radiators. Because the classic construction relies on screws and bolts, add a quick check of fixings to the maintenance schedule, particularly after a busy season. Replace worn glides before they leave timber feet in contact with the floor.
Comparing bentwood with other frames? Our solid wood vs metal restaurant chairs article sets out the trade-offs, and the restaurant chair buyer’s guide covers the full specification.
Planning a fit-out?
Specify bentwood chairs in your own finish
Send your floor plan and the look you want. We return a written specification and quotation, then a pre-production sample in your chosen stain and seat for approval.
Frequently asked questions
What wood are bentwood chairs made from?
Classic bentwood chairs are made from beech. Thonet describes beech as very stable and especially suited to the bentwood process because of its short fibres, which tolerate being steamed and bent along the grain.
Are bentwood chairs strong enough for a busy café?
They can be, provided the design and construction are suited to non-domestic use. Ask which standard any test evidence refers to, such as BS EN 16139, and check joints and fixings on a pre-production sample before approving production.
Why do bentwood chairs often have cane seats?
Woven cane or palm seats were common on the No. 14 chair partly because the holes in the weave let spilled liquid drain away. Cane is also light, which keeps the overall chair weight down.
Can bentwood chairs be made in any colour?
Bentwood frames are stained or lacquered after sanding, so the timber colour can follow your interior scheme. For made-to-order chairs, Calder & Oak stains timber to an approved sample before production.
Sources
- Thonet and the invention of bentwood furniture, Victoria and Albert Museum (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Milled wood is not curved unless you bend it, Thonet (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Bentwood (materials), Thonet (accessed 28 October 2026)
- No. 14 chair, Wikipedia (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Ella Bentwood Dining Chair, Warner Contract Furniture (accessed 28 October 2026)
- BS EN 16139:2025 Furniture. Safety, strength and durability. Requirements and test methods for non-domestic seating, BSI Knowledge (accessed 28 October 2026)