Set B 9

The Design

During his tenure in the furniture workshop at Bauhaus Dessau Marcel Breuer, the designer of the B 9 nesting tables, was one the first designers to experiment with the use of steel tubing for furniture production. With the Thonet B 9 the simple tubular steel frame of the side table is ably complemented by a wooden table top and is available in four different sizes whose relations are such that they can be nested within one another for convenient storage. In addition the four tables, with the designation B 9a, B 9b, B 9c & B 9d, and featuring heights ranging from 45 cm to 60 cm in height, are available separately. Yet regardless of the chosen configuration the Thonet Bauhaus classic is an elegant yet simple object and one which provides a graceful addition to any space.

he meeting of two epochs: Thonet's bentwood furniture in a modernist house at the Weissenhof Estate Stuttgart

Designer

Born in 1902 in Austro-Hungary, the architect and designer Marcel Breuer initially attended the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts before moving on to Bauhaus Weimar, where he was also employed in Walter Gropius's architectural office. In 1925 Marcel Breuer was appointed Jungmeister and head of the furniture workshops at Bauhaus Dessau, a position in which he distinguished himself early with innovative furniture designs, including his numerous steel tube objects as the B 9 table or the Wassily armchair, an object named after Breuer's Bauhaus colleague Wassily Kandinsky - an early admirer of the project. A protagonist of the new, modernist style Breuer furthered his reputation with his contribution to projects such as the Dessau Meisterhäuser or the Stuttgart Weissenhofsiedlung, before in the 1930s the rise of Nazi Germany forced his emigration to the United States. Once in America he once again joined forces with Walter Gropius this time at the Faculty of Architecture at Harvard University, in addition to realising his own solo projects such as the new UNESCO building in Paris.

Marcel Breuer, one of the main representatives of the Bauhaus school

Manufacturer

The German furniture manufacturer Thonet has established a strong international reputation with projects both developed by its own team of in-house designers as well as with those developed by external designers, be that in terms of licenses for modern classics - such as the B 9 - or cooperations with contemporary talents such as Stefan Diez. In cooperation with Thonet Stefan Diez developed the 404 and 404 F bentwood chairs, objects which continue the tradition of the company founder Michael Thonet, who with his 214 Coffee House Chair helped revolutionise furniture design. In collaboration with designers, engineers and craftsmen Thonet has developed as a family run business and continues to place aesthetics and functionality at the centre of its furniture philosophy, in addition to placing an increasing importance on the sustainability of its operations and products.

Thonet furniture are manufactured in Frankenberg, Germany.

Marcel Breuer's Nesting Tables

Production

The B 9 side table by the German furniture manufacturer Thonet with its elegantly curved tubular steel frame and wooden table top in a range of colours is a genuinely timeless piece of furniture and one which fits effortlessly into any situation. As with all Thonet objects, the production of the Breuer table proceeds according to the strict environmental and socio-economic criteria required by the Green Globe Certificate. Specifically, the recyclable material, selected for its durability, ease of repair and local sourcing is processed with the aid of renewable electricity. Additionally Thonet reduces its ecological footprint by investing in recycling systems for the necessary solvents. Thus the B 9 coffee table and the other products in the Thonet portfolio are not only stylish companions crafted from the finest materials by highly skilled craftsmen, but won't trouble your conscience.

For over 150 years Thonet has produced furniture classics icons

Historical Context

Bauhaus and the associated new ideals in terms of housing and furniture helped architects and designers overcome the historicism that was so dominant in the late 19th/early 20th century. Instead of the serially copying forms and ornaments of earlier styles, Bauhaus and their associates aimed at the development of a contemporary form language, one which corresponded to modern, industrial production methods. Arts and crafts - concept and execution - should not be considered separately from one another, but mutually dependent. In addition the protagonists of the Modernist movement sought to make functional, hygienic and tasteful residential properties available to a wide audience. One consequence of this process was the development of tubular steel furniture, notable examples of which are the Thonet B 9 nesting table by Marcel Breuer or the classic cantilever chair by Mart Stam.