Word of the Day Nearby words for bentwoodYOU ARE HERE: LAT HomeCollections In the early 1960s Yoram Kahana and Peggy Halper both took motion-picture courses at UCLA. In 1961 both became hooked on 19th-Century bentwood furniture as result of an exhibition at a UCLA art gallery. They married in 1962, made documentary films together, and now run Shooting Star, an international photography agency.The Kahanas' collection of bentwood, begun in 1961, has grown like an un-macheted jungle. It fills their home in the Hollywood Hills. It has invaded their office. Bentwood cradles and highchairs await any children that their two daughters (now 19 and 14) may have. "In fact, our grandchildren will be well provided from the cradle almost to the grave," Yoram Kahana says. "We have bentwood invalid chairs. The only thing not made in bentwood was coffins."Bentwood chairs are the kind that the lion tamer likes to use for fending off a lion, because they are both strong and light. They are also the kind of chairs you often find yourself sitting on during excruciating junior high school plays: hard-seated, curly-backed, bandy-legged.
They are easily taken apart, and there is an art to reassembling them with screws. "Before you sit on a bentwood chair," Peggy Kahana says, "you should fine-tune it like a Stradivarius."The 1962 UCLA exhibition that turned the couple on to bentwood contained several exhibits lent by film director Billy Wilder. The catalogue had an introduction by designer Henry Dreyfuss. "What struck me most at that time," Yoram Kahana says, "is that, aesthetically, bentwood looks like three-dimensional calligraphy. Calligraphy always fascinated me. The very logical construction of the furniture also appealed to me--the strength and the lightness. Le Corbusier said that with regard to the elegance of the conception, the purity of the execution and the efficiency of the furniture's use, nothing better has ever been made."Bentwood furniture was invented by Michael Thonet (1796-1871). Born in Germany, Thonet started as a parquet-maker and carpenter. He experimented with bending wood. At first he did what others did at the time: He laminated veneers.
Then he had the bright idea of cutting rods and bending them to any shapes he wanted by steaming them and pressing them in iron molds. Beech was the wood that best withstood stretching and compression, so Thonet moved to where the beech forests were--in Moravia (a part of present-day Czechoslovakia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire).Thonet's motto was "Bend or break." To test chairs and other pieces of furniture, he would throw them out of a second-story window, into the factory yard. If they bounced, fine; if they broke, they were not added to the firm's repertoire."Thonet did to furniture making what Henry Ford did to automobile making," Yoram Kahana says. "Because he was bending wood in standard iron forms, the idea of interchangeability came into furniture making. Everything was put together with screws, not glue, so if you broke a chair leg, you went to the hardware store and said, 'I want another 31B,' and they would sell it to you."The collapsibility of bentwood furniture also made it easy to export.
"You can go anywhere in the world and expect to find bentwood," Yoram Kahana says. "Something strange happened which I can't explain. Each country would have a certain item in abundance, which you don't find in any other country. In Spain I saw bentwood beds everywhere. I saw one in the Philippines, but the owner told me she had bought it in Spain. In Hungary we found dozens of nesting tables."Pieces of bentwood furniture by Thonet, and by imitators such as the brothers Kohn, now fetch high prices. A handsome Thonet cheval glass (a mirror so named because it resembles a horse's collar) is offered in New York for $12,500. But the Kahanas like a good bargain. In Alexandria they bought a chair that had belonged to the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy. "It was an absurd bargaining session," Yoram Kahana says. "The man who owned it said: 'A German tourist came and offered me $250. What would you offer?' I looked him in the eye and said, 'Twenty-five dollars.' We finally settled on $40." Seizure Led to FloJo's DeathHis 104 scores make his caseRestaurant review: South Beverly GrillBrutal Murder by Teen-Age Girls Adds to Britons' ShockComaneci Confirms Suicide Attempt, Magazine Says
when you choose at checkout. Dispatched from and sold by Beauty House-UK. iKayaa Reclining Bentwood Chair Birch Wood Lounge Chair With Cushion Rocking Armchair Wine Red Save £1.00 on Kids Table and Chairs Set when you purchase 1 or more Qualifying items offered by Beauty House-UK. Here's how (terms and conditions apply) Save £2.00 when you purchase 2 or more Qualifying items offered by Beauty House-UK. Product Dimensions59 x 68.5 x 105 cm MaterialNatural Birch Wood + Iron + Poly-Cotton + Sponge 94,878 in Kitchen & Home (See top 100) in Kitchen & Home > Furniture > Living Room Furniture > Chairs > Rocking Chairs Date First Available10 Nov. 2016 This is a stylish and cozy lounge chair to relax yourself. This chair features natural birch wood + iron construction, sturdy cantilever base and padded cushion, combines utility and fashion. It is a perfect addition to your bedroom, living room, porch, office, or some commercial places like hotels for indoor and outdoor usage.
Specifications: Color: Black / Wine Red / White (Optional) Material: Natural Birch Wood + Iron + Poly-Cotton + Sponge Load Capacity: 130kg / 286.6LB Chair Seat Height: 34-40cm / 13.38-15.75" Product Size: 59 * 68.5 * 105cm / 23.23 * 26.97 * 41.34"(W * D * H) Product Weight: 5.4kg / 11.9LB Package Size: 80 * 64 * 9.5cm / 31.49 * 25.19 * 3.74" Package Weight: 6.65kg / 14.66LB Test We Passed: This bentwood chair has passed testing standard of EN 12520:2010, Furniture---strength, durability and safety---Requirements for domestic seating. Package Included: 1 * Lounge Chair 1 * Assembling Instruction Pello Rocking Chair New & Boxed As New POANG - Armchair, oak veneer, Alme natural Home & Kitchen > Furniture > Living Room Furniture > Chairs > Rocking ChairsWood chairs have a classic solid feel to them that makes them the perfect dining chair. They’re sturdy, strong, and take a beating at the dinner table. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and textures making them suitable around any dining table.
To give you an idea of how wide the range of modern wooden dining chairs can be, here are 14 of them that would all look great around your dining table. 1. The back of this sleek dining chair is made from a single piece of bent wood giving it a smooth seamless look. See more photos of this chair, here. Designed by Jan Waterston. Photography by Lourival Junior. 2. These wood dining chairs have been smoothed out and finished so you can still see the natural grains in the wood. Beams chair designed by eajy 3. The curves of this dark wood chair make it a comfortable place to sit and eat and chat with friends and family. Crest Bentwood Chair from West Elm 4. The angular form of this dining chair gives it a contemporary look, while the dark wood makes it feel timeless. Hank chair designed by Jory Brigham. 5. Two pieces of solid bent wood give this chair a unique look and a strong, stable feel. Chair Leaf designed by E-ggs. 6. The seat and back legs of this chair can be folded up to make it easier to store them when they aren’t being used, but the curved wood seat makes it more comfortable than your average folding chair.
Chair_B designed by Konstantin Grcic. Produced by BD Barcelona Design. Photography by Florian Bohm. 7. These simple wood chairs put a modern spin on the traditional Scandinavian style dining chairs. Nerd chair designed by David Geckeler for Muuto 8. The wood of these chairs has been bent into a curved seat with high arm rests that have just the right amount of give. Armchai Mojo 1 designed by Michal Riabic. 9. The small cut out at the back of these wood chairs adds an interesting touch to an otherwise simple modern design. Touchwood chair designed by Lars Beller Fjetland. 10. This simple yet sophisticated wood dining chair has a single bolt that joins the legs to the seat, then the backrest slides simply, allowing it to easily dismantled when needed. Bento Chair designed by Form Us With Love. 11. This simple yet stylish chair uses interlocking wood strips to create a sturdy dining chair with a unique design. Nadia chair designed by Jin Kuramoto for Meetee