Since first invented by the German Michael Thonet in 1836, bentwood chairs have provided both large and small groups with a comfortable solution to any seating problem. Their lightweight but strong frame makes them the ideal item to use, when seating a crowd at a public event. The curved corners eliminate concerns about an object that might protrude from any of the carefully placed rows of seats. This design produces an amazingly strong furniture piece, not to mention a widely cherished piece of furniture by proof of all the positive consumer reviews on the Internet.

Until one German who was living in Vienna experimented with steamed wood, just about every chair had a pointed part, in an arm, a leg or a stretcher. Thonet created decorative Bentwood chairs that put an end to that problem. He showed that it was pointless to worry about protrusions from a chair, when a seat’s frame could be made of bent wood.

Tonet’s patented process involved the soaking and steaming of a wooden rod, and then the act of pressing that rod into a curved cast-iron mold. When the patent expired in 1870, Mundus and Kohn began to make similar seats. Today, consumers who go shopping for genuine bentwood chairs should remember the names of those three men.

Those who plan to purchase a set should make sure that it does not have any pieces missing. Missing and broken pieces are one reason you can find so many Bentwood chairs for sale. Beyond that requirement, each chair should be examined for evidence of a distinctive marking. A seat that comes from one of the original factories bears a special mark on the inside portion of its distinctive ring.

Those who advocate for use of sustainable materials should know that the bentwood process permits use of thin wood, without diminishing the strength of the finished product. For insurance of stability, a chair made of such thin wood should have a backrest with a width that is the same as the measurement of the distance between the two legs. Consumers who search for such an item are sure to have comfortable seating for every guest.