More than 300 photographs from 19 different countries poured in, proving the achingly iconic coffeehouse chair – Thonet’s 214 (formerly No. 14) – is as up-to-date as ever.
To honour the chair’s 150th birthday in 2009, Thonet organised the 214×214: A Chair the World Over photo competition, in which lovers of the café chair were invited to send in photographs of the 214 with personal stories, his or her homage to the icon. The jury selected three notable prizewinners out of the masses of entries from around the world: a family vignette, a still life with nude and a reportage-style image.
The First Prize: A Family Vignette
The photograph, which shows a grandfather sitting on the classic No 14 opposite his grandchild,sitting on the children’s version, was submitted by Berlin architects Martin and Christa Schönherr.
“This photo communicates many of the values that are important to Thonet in a particularly beautiful and natural manner,” according to the juror Peter Thonet. A traditional and familial image, the photo is so important to Thonet “because people have always communicated sitting
on Thonet chairs – whether in the traditional coffee house or in today’s modern conference rooms– and that’s exactly what is expressed in this photo.
Furthermore, Thonet has always produced furniture that was handed down from one generation to the next.”
The grand-prize for the submission is a trip to New York for two.
www.thonet.com/
